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Richard Branson, Virgin billionaire and recent proponent of a plant-based diet, has predicted that within 30 years the world could go meat-free.

Branson has previously made headlines for blogging on Okja and why he gave up beef, and for investing in lab grown meat.

Yesterday, he took this even further with his newest prediction.

Branson predicts that people in the near-future will sustain themselves solely on a plant-based diet and “clean” meat – this on the heels of the $17 million investment in Memphis Meats, the first “cultured” meat company to close a Series A funding round and set to debut its first products by 2021.

This company is “developing a way to produce real meat from animal cells, without the need to feed, breed and slaughter actual animals” with the intention of reducing the negative impact on the environment, the animals, and public health. And this is something that Branson is getting fully behind.

In a recent interview with Bloomberg News, he said, ““I’m thrilled to have invested in Memphis Meats. I believe that in 30 years or so we will no longer need to kill any animals and that all meat will either be clean or plant-based, taste the same, and also be much healthier for everyone.”

Branson’s predictions are in contradiction to a study that believes the world’s meat consumption is only set to increase until at least 2050. However, if his predictions are true, this could save the world from a potential food crisis as animal agriculture is an unsustainable way of providing humans with the nutrients that they need.

Additionally, an Oxford university study has recently predicted that going vegan could actually save the world.

Given the positive impact going meat free would have, let’s hope Branson’s predictions are as accurate as his pockets are deep!

Image credit: Story Pick | Memphis Meats

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