Does lab-grown milk exist?
A growing global population, expected to hit 10 billion by 2050, has prompted the development of lab grown meat and animal byproducts as a sustainable way to meet rising food demands.
Video transcript
- Does lab-grown milk exist? Cultured meat has been on the rise for over a decade, with the first lab-grown hamburger costing $395,000 to make. However, as technology has advanced in the past decade, the cost to produce lab-grown meat continues to decrease. Lab-grown meat and animal byproducts are created through swabs of stem cells taken from cows, which are placed in petri dishes along with amino acids and carbohydrates to help the muscle cells multiply and grow.
With increasing reports on lab-grown meat, where does that leave dairy? Not only does lab-grown milk exist, but it's expected to reach Australian supermarket shelves by 2024. CSIRO-backed startup Eden Brew has worked out how to brew milk in a lab in a way that emulates the natural fermentation process that happens in cows. The company eventually plans to ship the animal-free milk protein to dairy companies across the world. One issue will be the high price for consumers. Eden Brew's founder and chief executive Jim Fader said that by about 2028 to 2030, lab-grown milk will be the same retail price as milk. So now you know.
