Future of Meat Processing pt. 1

Work of Tomorrow

First, Christian Terwiesch speaks with Thomas Bowman, the Lead Research Chef at JUST. JUST is a food producer that focuses on foods that are grown without killing animals. Currently, they develop an egg-free mayonnaise product that is produced entirely in a factory. In addition to the product’s obvious appeal to vegans, this process reduces much of the carbon dioxide and water needed to produce mayonnaise, as animals do not have to be kept alive. JUST is not just focused on egg-free mayo, however. Their ambitious plans include growing enough animal cells in a lab that they can mass-produce meat without having to raise and kill animals. For now, they are trying to do so with sausage, as that requires less structure to the meat than other products. Bowman notes that the final 5 to 10% of JUST’s growth will likely come from successfully developing the scaffolding required to sell a genuine meat product. Bowman believes that the benefits of JUST’s products are appealing. For example, if the meat is grown without a full animal attached to it, the company can control the taste more. They can remove the bitter, iron-like flavor that people often associate with meat and make it more savory. They can also create more meat with less cells, which in the long run is cheaper. The societal benefits of cheaper meat production are obvious. In fact, Bowman estimates that if a bioreactor covering 100 acres or less was devoted to growing meat, that plant could theoretically feed the entire country.