The high cost of lab-to-table meat

Forget free-range, antibiotic-free, and grass-fed—tomorrow’s burger will be lab-cultured. Scientists are creating a new slaughterhouse-free food group called clean meat: edible animal protein grown in a vat. Stem cells are extracted from animals, brewed in a bioreactor, fortified with nutrients like amino acids and glucose, and structured around collagen “scaffolds.” It’s not just about cultivating the ideal boneless chicken wing: These miracle meats could reduce the planet-depleting land and water use of traditional animal agriculture by more than 80 percent. “From an investment standpoint, this is potentially a trillion-dollar market opportunity,” says New Crop Capital partner Christopher Kerr, leading VCs to grab a stake in their labstock of choice.