Young people more likely than boomers to try lab-grown meat

According to a study, more than 80% of GenZ and millennials are feeling positive about the arrival of lab-grown meat on the market. – Photo: anyaivanova/Getty Images via AFP

Steak, rare? Why not, as long as it's grown in-vitro. That's the conclusion of a study published last week regarding attitudes to consuming meat grown in a laboratory.

Conducted collaboratively by two American universities and one British, the study, available in the Foods journal, aims to understand the state of mind of different generations facing the emergence of alternative meat production. These in-vitro proteins are made from animal cells and then grown in test tubes. This type of cultivation presents an alternative to traditional breeding whose consequences on the environment are disastrous.

The younger the generation, the more in favour of in-vitro meat

To find out more about perceptions of what not long ago seemed like a meal out of a work of science fiction, the researchers interviewed adults of different age groups.

The study was conducted on representative samples of the American and British populations. And appetites vary depending on the generation. About 89% of GenZers are inclined to consume it and have a positive view of the subject. A similar percentage is found among millennials (85%).

Boomers, on the other hand, are less open, with just 77% "at least somewhat open" to trying lab-raised meat.

In vitro meat vs farmed meat

On average, those who took part in the study said that this new type of protein could make up 37-42% of their diet's meat in the future.

Generally, answers suggested that many expected farmed meat to remain on their plates and that this new form of protein would make up a "partial, rather than full, replacement for meat".

In their study, the researchers found that "despite growing evidence of the environmental and public health threats posed by today's intensive animal production, consumers in the west remain largely attached to meat."

It is therefore difficult to predict whether this type of meat will become widespread. It will be necessary above all to convince a public that has been fed on farmed meat, although it may become easier as younger generations become purchasers for their households. – AFP Relaxnews