You mention that ‘EA’ should temper it’s enthusiasm for cultivated meat. I’m not sure I have noticed this on the forum or in conversations, or at least not beyond enthusiasm for the idea of alternative proteins in general. Do you have a sense why you think cultivated meat enthusiasm is too high in EA?
I would also be sceptical of having your mind changed via survey data for dietary preferences when people already consume a lot of food that is manufactured in ways they say they are against. I think it would be more important to see whether alternative proteins (including cultivated meat) can become as tasty, convenient and significantly cheaper than animal products.
I may have a certain bias since I work in the field of cultivated meat, but I’ve frequently observed a strong interest in cultivated meat during my interactions with other EAs. This seems particularly pronounced in France, but I’ve had similar impressions when engaging with EAs at international events like EAG. Truthfully, this wouldn’t be surprising, given that the demographic profile of EAs closely aligns with those who tend to be favorably disposed toward cultivated meat. This interest is also visible in the support some EAs provide to organizations such as GFI or ProVeg that advocate for cultivated meat, without the focus on cultivated meat being questionned.
Regarding the assertion that “it would be more important to determine whether alternative proteins (including cultivated meat) can become as tasty, convenient, and significantly cheaper than animal products,” I believe this is far from self-evident. Unfortunately, recent exemples don’t necessarily support this perspective. While achieving these qualities represents a necessary step, there’s no guarantee it will suffice. Moreover, while I wouldn’t be surprised if taste parity becomes less problematic for plant-based products within the next 10-15 years, I expect price will likely remain a significant challenge for cultivated meat.
I imagine if you work in that field people will show interest in the topic, I’d be interested in if you know there is outsized interest in cultivated meat over other alt proteins.
I’m not sure I see any data in that LinkedIn post, do we know how sales have changed over time and price points for these products? I find this type of data more convincing. I’d be more interested in seeing global info, and looking at sales of various products, in the retail and business sectors to get a good sense of what is actually happening in plant based margarine vs margarine vs butter vs plant based butter market.
The Jacob Peacock article is about them being the same price, not significantly cheaper, which I think is the wrong way to think about it. Most examples historically of animal products being replaced have been because of big cost differences rather than cost parity (horses/cars, whales/oil, fur/other fabrics). That doesn’t mean that people don’t still ride horses, hunt whales or use fur, just that it is a much smaller percentage.
You mention that ‘EA’ should temper it’s enthusiasm for cultivated meat. I’m not sure I have noticed this on the forum or in conversations, or at least not beyond enthusiasm for the idea of alternative proteins in general. Do you have a sense why you think cultivated meat enthusiasm is too high in EA?
I would also be sceptical of having your mind changed via survey data for dietary preferences when people already consume a lot of food that is manufactured in ways they say they are against. I think it would be more important to see whether alternative proteins (including cultivated meat) can become as tasty, convenient and significantly cheaper than animal products.
Hi David, and thank you for your comment!
I may have a certain bias since I work in the field of cultivated meat, but I’ve frequently observed a strong interest in cultivated meat during my interactions with other EAs. This seems particularly pronounced in France, but I’ve had similar impressions when engaging with EAs at international events like EAG. Truthfully, this wouldn’t be surprising, given that the demographic profile of EAs closely aligns with those who tend to be favorably disposed toward cultivated meat. This interest is also visible in the support some EAs provide to organizations such as GFI or ProVeg that advocate for cultivated meat, without the focus on cultivated meat being questionned.
Regarding the assertion that “it would be more important to determine whether alternative proteins (including cultivated meat) can become as tasty, convenient, and significantly cheaper than animal products,” I believe this is far from self-evident. Unfortunately, recent exemples don’t necessarily support this perspective. While achieving these qualities represents a necessary step, there’s no guarantee it will suffice. Moreover, while I wouldn’t be surprised if taste parity becomes less problematic for plant-based products within the next 10-15 years, I expect price will likely remain a significant challenge for cultivated meat.
I imagine if you work in that field people will show interest in the topic, I’d be interested in if you know there is outsized interest in cultivated meat over other alt proteins.
I’m not sure I see any data in that LinkedIn post, do we know how sales have changed over time and price points for these products? I find this type of data more convincing. I’d be more interested in seeing global info, and looking at sales of various products, in the retail and business sectors to get a good sense of what is actually happening in plant based margarine vs margarine vs butter vs plant based butter market.
The Jacob Peacock article is about them being the same price, not significantly cheaper, which I think is the wrong way to think about it. Most examples historically of animal products being replaced have been because of big cost differences rather than cost parity (horses/cars, whales/oil, fur/other fabrics). That doesn’t mean that people don’t still ride horses, hunt whales or use fur, just that it is a much smaller percentage.