How ‘Meat The Future’ Helped Inspire The Cultivated Meat Trend

Liz Marshall’s feature-length documentary, Meat The Future, on the cultivated meat industry hit streaming platforms around the world in April across Apple TV+, AmazonAMZN
, and Google Play. Since filming and the subsequent release of the doc, the industry has grown substantially.

The documentary analyzes the birth and growth of the cultivated meat industry, where meat is grown from stem cells instead of animals. Once again, from a sustainability perspective, decreasing the need for mass amounts of industrial agriculture and slaughterhouses which, long-term, are seen as inefficient.

Marshall – being a vegan – was asked in her interview with Time magazine, coinciding with the release of the piece, whether there were “any doubts or squeamishness” going into the subject area as food being grown in vats seen in dystopian programming is layered with a bleak future for humanity.

“Of course. But then it became normalized for me. It really just made sense,” she said.

“I never make any claims that this is the silver bullet that will change the world. But I do hope that it transforms the food system. In the meantime, this film is a historic document. It’s the only film in the world that chronicles the birth of this industry, told through the eyes of a cardiologist who took this very risky career turn to become the CEO and founder of the world’s leading cultivated meat company.”

The meat company in question is Upside Foods founded by Uma Valenti, a former cardiologist and professor at the University of Minnesota.

On the overall surprise of making the film and finding out new information on the sector she said, “At the time we started, the whole idea was extremely novel, marginal, and abstract. And I think it still is, though for many people there’s more and more interest.”

She added later on the development of the industry since filming and release, as there is now cultivated meat on the shelves in supermarkets, “because of the fear of zoonotic disease and because of the need for solutions to problems with our food system. I think it’s just a matter of time.”

The documentary has certainly worked to inspire by creating a zeitgeist of possibilities and hope in the area. Especially in seeing the growth of the concept between filming and release.

Rahim Rajwani is the founder and strategic advisor of Atelier Meats, one of the many companies that were inspired by the documentary. Similar to Upside Foods, Atelier Meats is a biotechnology company dedicated to developing quality, lab-grown meats that are tasteful, healthy, and competitively priced for human consumption.

On the industry, Rajwani delved into a deeper analysis of its success. “Using animals to convert plants to meat is very inefficient. 77% of global farmland is taken up by livestock, even though it accounts for only 18% of calories consumed by humans. Growing beef directly is ultimately more efficient than using land. This lends itself to massive environmental sustainability and economic shifts.”

He continued, “Current industrial agriculture practices create an environment of disease and dangerous waste. Livestock waste also causes water pollution, which is dangerous to public health, especially in areas where clean water is scarce.”

On his inspiration to work in the cultivated meat area, outside of the documentary supporting his thoughts on the growth of the trade, he added, “Originally, I founded a plant-based food company and as I learned more about the plant-based sector I stumbled upon the cultured meat sector.”

“It became clear through several discussions and research that the plant-based sector was not only saturated with different products, but a number of the ingredients in those products were actually unhealthy.”

Continuing he opined, “Cultured meat, however, is real meat, grown in a lab, which allows scientists to ensure quality and the best health standards including the ability to avoid any unneeded antibiotics and other foodborne diseases often related to slaughterhouses. Once I embarked on the journey of continuing to learn more about the cultured meat sector, it became clear to me this was going to be the evolution of food and had the added benefits of environmental and health benefits.”

With the development of a new sector and the oftentimes important role that film and TV play in educating the masses, also comes the necessity of governmental reform. Something that has also started to take shape.

“The government policy side of things has also started to change quickly,” Rajwani said.

“Singapore has taken the lead as the first country in the world to approve and regulate cultured meat products, and consumers can now buy numerous products in stores across Singapore.”

“European countries, Canada, and the USA have all started to structure the regulatory regime to monitor & ensure the quality of cultured meat products.”

With the popularity of Meat The Future and its impact on the sector, it’s more evident how vital media is to the understanding and education needed for the mass adoption of positive sustainable developments.

The non-scripted sector specifically has continued to pioneer coverage of new thoughts and groundbreaking ideas to enable – and ultimately promote – societal changes.