lab grown meat is a vaguely EA/rationalist/self IDed neolib meme. in theory it will save the environment (ok) and prevent suffering (yay) in a way that concentrates capital (double yay) and involves a lot of tech magic (triple yay).
hot luigi is a big fan apparently. seeing this discussed reminded me of this excellent article which shreds the concept of mass produced lab grown meat. I haven’t really seen this circulate much over the years, but it is really a masterwork of grift dissection. please enjoy
archive link: https://web.archive.org/web/20241208141305/https://thecounter.org/lab-grown-cultivated-meat-cost-at-scale/
Techbros: “I’m hungry for that Lab Grown Meat!”
Labs:
count another yay for how magic tech could (meaning: won’t) solve major problem without people using it being inconvenienced in any way (giving up meat)
“Friedrich argued that investor buy-in was the de facto proof that cultivated meat has legs. Major meatpackers, prominent venture capital firms, the government of Singapore: You could trust that these stakeholders had done their due diligence, and they wanted in.”
Ow god it is a scam. This was a reaction to researchers saying “we dont see it”.
Investors as a general class are usually pretty terrible at staying in their lane and not listening when actual subject matter experts disagree with the guy with a good story. I think the only reason they have any reputation otherwise (compared to e.g. physicists’ disease) is survivorship bias.
Great article.
I have long suspected that it was a dead end, because at most you get a slurry that you then have to process. We already have that, the slurry is just made of vegetables. Growing animal cells in a way is way more complex then mashing peas or beans and make processed food from that.
Or you know, be unafraid to try tofu.
This is not a good take. Even if the tech is further away than the optimistic takes of the industry that doesnt make it impossible, and “at best” you could definitely have more than a slurry. There are mang current scientific studies revolving around growing human organs in a lab. Eventually we will be able to grow meat that is essentiallt indistinguishable from the ‘real thing’. And yes, while everyone should just go vegetarian, they arent going to. So the sooner we get to that point, the better.
“We can’t get people to eat less meat and more vegetables, therefore we must invest billions so that we can get to the logical endpoint: million dollars steaks!”
“Or at least, that is what we told them. Now, feast on the most expensive meat yet as we now can literally eat up the planets resources!”
Evil laughter as the billionaires twirl their mustaches and salivates.
I did. The articles conclusions are that its currently impossible to produce lab grown meat at such a scale that it could replace a large porton of the meat industry and still be viable economically as a short term investment. Im not denying that, and i dont care about investor returns. I dont think any industry should be privatized anyway, and especially beneficial scientific research that could shape the future. But the point is the technology is here, and will continue to get cheaper and more efficient, and in the meantime any meat consumption that is replaced is a good thing, even if its not all at once. The whole article reads like an investment prospectus, not a critique of the technology itself which is how its being presented.
I just want to have a chance to get some for myself even if it’s super over priced I’ll go for it, my whole life meat has been my favorite type of food, either gmo me a plant that can make fat and gristle or I’m stuck with lab grown stuff
I just want a non destructive way to enjoy my favourite thing
You could always move out to the country and raise your own cows, just a few, for the milk and occasionally meat. Get some chickens too, for endless eggs.
Farm a small plot of land to feed them.
Get a big freezer, resign yourself to eating meat monthly instead of weekly or daily, and you’ll be set for life with minimal impact on the environment.
eggs are alright but I just can’t get the same thrill(not exactly the right word) out of cooking vegetable stuff, baking can have a bit of fun trying something new but meat is way more interesting to make good food with
I don’t think I could really get into full butchery, I’m fine with cutting up meat but killing and dressing is a bit much for me but I guess that’s where I could hire someone out
