Letter to the Editor: Future Meat Technologies

By. Jon Hochschartner

To the editor,

I was pleased to learn Future Meat Technologies has produced the world’s first cultivated lamb. For those who don’t know, cultivated meat is grown from livestock cells, without slaughter. It’s better for animals, the environment and public health.

“Since lamb has a uniquely distinct flavor, it is very clear if a cultivated substitute is on or off the mark,” FMT General Manager Michael Lenahan said. “The reason Future Meat’s cultivated lamb is indistinguishable from conventional lamb is because it is, first and foremost, real meat. It sizzles, sears and tastes just like people expect—it’s amazing.”

While the private sector has made important progress, increased public funding for cultivated-meat research is needed to help bring down production costs, so the new protein can better compete with slaughtered meat. Legislators who want to reduce animal suffering, greenhouse-gas emissions, and our pandemic risk should support this.