Herbal meat substitutes in fast food chains will surprise few. Now, however, KFC, one of the main players in the market, intends to move even further – it will start printing its nuggets on a 3D printer, while cooperating with a Russian laboratory. This time, however, it is not an alternative for vegetarians – they will be produced from chicken stem cells. The reason is both ecological and ethical.
How reported the British daily Daily Mail, 3D printing in cooperation with the Moscow company 3D Bioprinting Solutions will offer the customer “ethical meat”. This will be made on the basis of stem cells and plant material, which will make it difficult to tell whether it is real meat or from a laboratory.
KFC will reportedly provide the Russian laboratory with all the necessary ingredients, including special spices, which complete the typical final taste. Chicken nuggets from the laboratory will be tested in Moscow this autumn.
According to a KFC press release, the “meat of the future” is emerging in response to the growing popularity of healthy lifestyles and mass alternatives for a better approach to the environment. “Currently, there are no similar methods available on the market that would allow the production of a similar complex product from animal cells,” the company recalls.
The Israeli company Redefine Meat, for example, announced its intention to offer customers meat from a 3D printer in June. According to management, its machines will be able to print up to 20 kilograms of substitute per hour, while the price should be lower than for real meat.
The Spanish company Novameat is also engaged in the same production. Director Giuseppe Scionti said that this year his company’s offer should appear in selected European restaurants.
The Daily Mail recalls that KFC is responsible for the deaths of about one billion chickens a year. For example, the Czechs suffered from poultry – last year, compared to 2010, they consumed 17 percent more of this meat, namely 28.7 kilograms per person.
However, there are only a few percent of strict vegans and vegetarians in the Czech Republic, although according to the latest surveys, the number of people who reduce meat consumption for health and sustainability is increasing.
Meat substitutes commonly on offer
Although meat from the KFC laboratory will not get to the Czech Republic just yet, the offer of plant meat substitutes, which is also offered by a number of chains, is already a common affair on the local market.
The most recently announced furniture giant Ikea, which will start selling a meatless variant of popular Swedish balls in its restaurants from August. They have a similar structure as the mass and the company will try to persuade some customers to switch to them.
“If we could convert about 20 percent of our meatball sales to meatless, it would reduce our climate footprint in global food sales by eight percent,” said Jakub Slavík on behalf of Ikea. The chain sells almost 17 million balls a year in the Czech Republic. It will then sell a billion bullets worldwide.
In the past, KFC also offered a meatless variant of its dishes, but also Burger King, McDonald’s or Burrito Loco. The Californian company Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, Nestlé and Heaven Labs, which produce Mana drinks, are mainly involved in the production of plant substitutes. Alternatives are made from combinations of soy, legumes, rice or wheat, vegetables and oils.
The May Ipsos survey shows that 28 percent of survey respondents plan to increase the consumption of plant alternatives at the expense of animal products in the future.
The green trend is growing
Agrarian analyst Petr Havel reminds for the online daily Aktuálně.cz that playing the string of ecological sustainability is modern in all areas. “In general, the pursuit of sustainable agriculture and food is fine – unless it means over-regulation for Europeans and therefore our agriculture and such a large increase in the cost of agricultural production as would discourage at least small and medium-sized farmers from doing business in agriculture, “Havel explains.
According to him, the result of “green efforts” will be an increase in the price of agricultural production and a consequent increase in the price of food produced from it.
From the point of view of the customer’s health and the necessary balance of diet of plant and animal origin, it would also be unfortunate if the numbers of livestock were reduced. “Which would – in the case of grazing farms – also have a negative impact on the environment. So – sustainability has a chance of success and to some extent is necessary, but like everything – nothing should be exaggerated,” believes the analyst.
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