Tolerance levels for factory-farmed meat are waning, as an increasing number of people find it an unacceptable way to treat both our environment and the animals being slaughtered.
A host of new non-meat meats have sprung up over the years to offer an alternative to consumers, both vegan and vegetarian, including products by start-ups such as Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat.
Now, analysts at the consulting company AT Kearney have published a report in which they claim that by 2040, we will all be eating more “fake” meat than animal meat.
“[…] Cultured meat and new meat replacement products are going to disrupt the 1,000 billion dollar conventional meat industry with all its supplier companies,” the analysts write, adding that in their view, so-called cultured meat will eventually move towards replacing animal meat altogether.
Cultured meat is meat grown in a lab from animal cells — it is therefore “real” meat, but without the environmental or ethical cost.
In the AT Kearney analysis, the prediction is that by 2040, conventional meat consumption will decrease by more than 30 per cent, as this form of farming will also fail to be able to feed the Earth’s predicted population of around 10 billion.
Additionally, technological advancements, a shift in lifestyles and governmental regulations on factory farming will eventually disrupt the conventional meat industry.
“Worthwhile to note is that new biotechnology methods will disrupt not only the meat industry but the complete food industry as products such as milk, egg white, gelatine and fish can be created with similar technology,” the analysts conclude. – dpa
