Cultivated meat: Future or present of gastronomy?

Although laboratory-grown meat has been present in the food sector for more than a decade, its relevance has grown in recent months due to two main causes: advances in regulation in different countries and approval for consumption in the United States. This latest milestone has been achieved by two companies, GOOD Meat and UPSIDE Foods, who obtained marketing approval a couple of months ago from the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture), just one year after the FDA (Food & Drug Administration) declared them safe for consumption.

But this does not mean that these products will flood the shelves of the shelves immediately. These companies have decided to follow a strategy similar to the one adopted at the time by pioneering companies in meat analogs plant-based like Impossible Foods or Meati: introduce your products to a small number of restaurants with a certain prestige to generate expectations and that the most curious and Early Adopters they can try them in a gastronomic environment.

Currently, in the United States, there are two cases of restaurants that are incorporating meat cell-based in their exclusive menus. On the one hand, we find the successful initiative of China Chilcano, a restaurant located in Washington D.C., run by the renowned Chef José Andrés, which has incorporated chicken meat cell-based From the company GOOD Meat to its menu based on Peruvian cuisine.

He named the dish as “Anticuchos de Pollo” and consists of cultured chicken marinated with anticucho sauce, native potatoes and yellow chili chimichurri. On the other hand, on the west coast of the country, specifically in San Francisco, the Chef Dominique Crenn has incorporated into its offer at its local Bar Crenn a dish prepared in collaboration with the company UPSIDE Foods. This dish consists of cultured chicken wrapped in a tempura infused with black recado (a mixture of Yucatecan spices) and accompanied by a burnt chili aioli garnished with flowers and edible vegetables from chef Crenn's own Bleu Belle farm.

Cultivated chicken anticuchos

But it's not only in the US that you can try this type of cultured meat. In fact, the company SuperMeat, located in Israel, was pioneer in incorporating this type of meat into a restaurant's gastronomic offer That they developed ad hoc for the presentation of your new product. Dubbed The Chicken, it provided diners with the opportunity to observe food engineers and chefs in action, while contemplating the modern pilot plant where they could witness the process of growing meat that they would later taste in the form of gourmet hamburgers. It is also worth mentioning the case of the Huber's Butchery chain, in Singapore, since their bistro served kebabs of cultured chicken meat from the company GOOD Meats before she made the big leap to the United States.

Cultured chicken wrapped in a tempura infused with black recado and burnt chili aioli

It is clear that this technology brings with it a series of opportunities for restaurants and chefs who want to put this meat cell-based in their menus and position themselves as pioneers in the inclusion of a completely new product in their gastronomic experiences. First, chefs can create “meat” dishes with flavors, textures and nutritional profiles never seen before, since they couldn't be achieved with traditional cuts of meat. Second, meat cell-based It is produced in a way more sustainable, since it requires less water, energy and surface to be prepared and, therefore, is presented as a more responsible alternative for restaurants concerned about the environment. And finally, this meat does not involve the raising and slaughter of animals in its production process, which makes it an option More ethics for restaurateurs who want to position themselves in this regard.

We must not forget that together with these opportunities there are a series of Challenges that restaurants will have to face in order to popularize the consumption of this “new meat” among consumers.

• Cost of production. Meat production cell-based remains relatively expensive, which could limit its appeal to consumers.
• Consumer Acceptance. Some people may have reservations about trying cell-based meat, as this is a completely new and unfamiliar product.
• Regulation. It is still a relatively new product and there is no clear regulatory framework for its production and sale. This could slow down the adoption of cellular meat in gastronomy.

Despite these challenges, The future of cellular meat in gastronomy seems promising. If we continue to innovate and invest in its development, meat cell-based could become a common element in all restaurants in the world and possibly in our pantries, for years to come.