Low Carbs and Low Carbon
Will a “net zero” steak save the planet? Innovations in cellular agriculture are creating very real meat alternatives, feeding into the growing appetite for earth-friendly food habits.
Cellular agriculture innovators such as Mosa Meat can create 80,000 burgers from just one cell sample, while Barcelona-based Novameat’s 3D printed steaks mimic the taste and flavor of beef and pork. The bioengineering firm is one of 70 startups around the world developing lab-grown alternatives that are set to upend the market for everything from steaks to chicken and tuna.
The World Bank estimates that 20 to 30 percent of the Earth’s carbon emissions stem from agriculture, and making the right food choices can curb that carbon footprint. It’s not just what’s on the plate, a food item’s carbon footprint is affected by the entire process from crop production to transportation.
“Supply chains are really complex and people are trying to understand the pros and cons of consumption,” said Hanna Jerome, cultural strategist, in our Net Zero Steak briefing. “Consumers are learning that there is no one metric to decrease your carbon footprint when it comes to food and beverage,” Hanna added.
Alternative meats may not replace their original counterparts, at least not for some, when the trend of Nostalgia meets the family luncheon. “A corned beef sandwich has a lot of cultural value for me,” said Ben Grinspan, director of cultural strategy. “We make these choices knowing that food evokes meaning and love in many ways that other things cannot,” he said.
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Anna is the Editorial Director at sparks & honey and author of sparks & honey’s cultural intelligence reports. She eats blueberries at 5pm every day, and when she's not writing, Anna is running across bridges in NYC, taking photographs along the way.