Laboratory beef could surpass the real thing within 10 years to solve environmental and animal welfare problems, while remaining just as tasty, a Dutch scientist says.
Mark Post, Professor of Physiology at Maastricht University in the Netherlands, 18 months ago oversaw the creation of the first "cultured beef" burger made of stem cells from cow muscle tissue.
He says beef producers already recognise the looming obstacles for the industry, such as how to sustainably and effectively feed the world's population, including the growing Asian middle class, which is projected to reach 3.2 billion people by 2030 and to double the region's food consumption by 2050.
"They recognise the same problems, probably better than anybody else, and they see there could be alternatives," Professor Post told reporters in Darwin on Friday, where he was a guest speaker at the Northern Territory Cattlemen's Association annual conference.
He says consumers will eventually drive the demand for laboratory beef and producers will have to fall in line.
Initially, it will be considered a luxury product, with an appeal to those with environmental and animal welfare concerns.
"The more traditional meat consumer, and probably also richer and younger segment, will tap into this much sooner than people in India and China, who for the first time ever can afford meat and will go for the lower cost traditional meat sources," he said.
The first cultured beef patty cost a whopping 250,000 euros, but within 10 years production could be scaled up to compete with traditional beef in cost, especially if beef prices continue rising, Professor Post said.
One stem cell can make 10,000kg of beef, so the capacity is huge, he said.
Farmers will be able to adapt production systems to incorporate cultured beef, which will eventually piggyback on the industry's resources, distribution networks and access to consumers.
But the two forms of beef production won't really be able to co-exist, Professor Post said.
"If this technology produces exactly the same product with less resources and... less animal welfare issues, then I think the consumer will eventually decide for us," he said.
Taste remains the biggest issue: the lab burger currently tastes "okay, not great", but fat tissue is being added to improve the flavour.
"It's essentially the same tissue in the end, so the taste has to be similar," he said.
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