To the Editor: I was thrilled to learn an Israeli company, Future Meat Technologies, has slashed production costs for cultured meat and hopes to bring it to the United States in the next year and a half. For those who don’t know, cultured meat is grown from cells, without slaughter. It’s better for the environment, public health and animal welfare.
Future Meat Technologies can make a quarter pound of cultivated chicken for a little less than $4. This is down from $7.50 just a few months ago. “We will launch a product in the US market in the next 18 months that will have a commercially viable price,” company CEO Rom Kshuk told the Financial Times, suggesting this will be under $2.
Despite the progress, more research is necessary to help launch the cultured-meat industry. For instance, according to the Good Food Institute, there is a significant knowledge gap when it comes to creating whole-cut meats. That’s why we need federal funding for cellular-agriculture development. I hope forward-thinking legislators will support it.
Jon Hochschartner,
Granby, Conn.