Study Says One Third Of Americans Would Regularly Eat Lab-Grown Meat

Image courtesy of Memphis Meats.

Lab-grown meat producers Memphis Meats broke the internet a couple of weeks ago when they introduced their “clean” fried chicken and duck. It’s a telling sign that lab-grown meat, also known as cultured meat, is becoming a more significant part of the discussion of the future of meat.

With that in mind, researchers at the University of Queensland in Australia decided to survey a group of over 600 Americans — none of whom had tried any cultured meat products — to answer one key question:

“Would you be willing to try or eat lab-grown meat?”

Through a series of detailed questions about the subjects’ backgrounds and attitudes on lab-grown meat, the researchers concluded that about two-thirds of those surveyed would be willing to try lab-grown meat. A third of the total group also said they would be down to regularly consume lab-grown meat.

Of course, not everybody was on board. The study also found that a fourth of participants considered cultured meat to be “unethical” and those with higher incomes or vegetarian/vegan lifestyles were less likely to eat this meat, even if they agreed that it was better for the environment.

There’s no question that lab-grown meat is better for the environment, as Memphis Meats claims they can cut down their water, land, and emissions by a staggering 90 percent compared to conventional farming of meat. With the general consensus in place that factory-raised meat is going to be unsustainable within the next 30 years, alternatives like lab-grown meat are looking better to those who would be unable to obtain meat otherwise.

And with this significant proportion of Americans saying they would either try or eat lab-grown meat, it’s becoming even more clear that it will be a vital part of the future of food.