New Documentary Shows Why the Future of Meat Won’t Include Animals – and How It Can be Done

People often say, “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.” But what do we do, as humans, when one of the largest components of our society is blatantly broken? Do we declare that change is hard? Do we turn a blind eye? Do we place profits before lives and the environment? Well, that is exactly what a majority of society is doing in regards to our broken food system. Despite the fact that animal agriculture takes a terrible toll on the environment, uses precious finite resources, is harming billions of animals , and is not even producing enough food, in quantity or quality, change in this sector is hardly happening at a rate that matches the destruction it’s causing. That may all be changing soon, though.

Plant-based meat and dairy products provide a wonderful alternative that experts are calling “the future of food.” These products are far more environmentally friendly than their counterparts, harm zero animals, and generally, are better for the human body. While a majority of plant-based products are derived from ingredients found in the plant kingdom, cultured meat and dairy products deviate from this trend. These cultured creations are synthetic products made from animal stem cells. Essentially, using these cells, scientists are able create the same tissue you would find in an animal, but without actually involving an animal. These alternatives are generating quite a bit of buzz in the food world, and for good reason.

Cultured meat aims to solve one of the fundamental puzzles of human behavior – getting people to change their habits for the better, without making them feel like they’re sacrificing what they love. A fascinating feat indeed. So intriguing, in fact, that Liz Marshall, director of The Ghosts In Our Machines, has made a film on the subject.

Meat the Future is a feature-length documentary that highlights some of the biggest innovators in the cultured or “clean” meat movement, mainly the team over at Memphis Meats, including CEO Dr. Uma Valeti and his partner. The film allows viewers to get a glimpse into the process of creating cultured meat and possibly dispelling the idea that cultured meat is basically “Frankenfood.”

As the description for the Meat the Future trailer, outlines, “the proposition to disrupt conventional meat production inspires resistance and hope.” And it’s true the transition from meat to cultured meat would be monumental, and one that would only occur with the Support of consumers, agriculture lobbyists, CEOS, animal advocates, and environmentalists. It’s a pretty huge undertaking, but considering it is our food system and society’s well-being we’re talking about here –we’d say it’s well worth the while. After all, when something is broken, you should fix it. We look forward to watching Meat the Future and, with equal excitement, the world’s reaction to this glimpse into what may very well be the future of food.

Release dates for Meat the Future have not been announced yet but you can watch the trailer below:

To learn more about how you can use your food choices for the benefit of the environment and animals, join One Green Planet’s #EatForThePlanet movement. To find out more about companies in the cultured meat space who are pioneering the future of food, click here. 

Lead image source: Memphis Meats/Instagram