The company “Memphis Meats” has successfully grown real, authentic tasting meat from animal stem cells. That’s right. The beef, pork and poultry grown by Memphis Meats provides all the same nutrients and flavor as the meat you get from the supermarket, but without all the unnecessary consequences of the contemporary livestock rearing process. Game changer.

I know it might sound weird, but before you write off synthetic meat, at least consider the benefits. Or just check out this video of people eating the world’s first synthetic meatball.

First, humans are inherently narcissistic. On a physiological level we are wired to look out for ourselves. So it makes sense that we should want to eat only the healthiest, safest foods possible, right? By growing meat from the cellular level Memphis Meats is able to control the amount of fat in the meat, allowing for consumers to get the leanest, most nutrient dense meat possible. Also, thanks to the frighteningly sterile lab environment that the meat is grown in there is no need to worry about antibiotics, fecal matter, or other pathogens and contaminants. Bottom line: synthetic meat is designed to be healthier and better for you.

Second, no animals are harmed in Memphis Meat’s production process. The recent rise of food documentaries showing the darker side of livestock production i.e. overcrowding, inhumane slaughtering, miniature cages etc. has led to a rise in veganism. It really is pretty hard to watch the butchering processes used by large meat companies that mass produce their products. This leads to an interesting question: Can Memphis Meat create entirely real meat that is also vegan? By most definitions of vegan, it looks like it.


Third, Memphis Meat’s products harbor a smaller environmental footprint. The livestock industry, on the other hand, imposes a heavy toll on the environment. Some argue the livestock industry is the largest threat to our environment, far exceeding the burning of fossil fuels. You know that whole “a hamburger takes 330 gallons of water to create” thing? Yeah, that’s not a concern with synthetic meat.

Synthetic meat has potential to be the future. The production process is exceedingly healthier, sustainable and more humane than any of its competitors. It might be hard to wrap your head around but when synthetic meat hits your market (and it looks to be quite soon), not eating it because it “just seems weird” or “isn’t natural” is not a valid excuse. How natural is it to raise thousands of animals, pump them full of drugs and run them through death machines to get that filet mignon you love?

Editor’s Note: For more, listen to an interview with cardiologist and Memphis Meats CEO, Uma Valeti here.