Food of the future

recent years, there has been increasing discussion about the impact of our dietary

choices not only on our health, but also on global issues such as food security and climate

change. Much emphasis has been placed on eating a plant-based diet and avoiding foods of

animal origin, with vegetarian options becoming far more abundant across grocery stores

and in restaurants. But are we on the right direction? Will meat and dairy alternatives

satisfy consumers by living up to their promises? To contribute to this debate, 11 articles

have been published in this special issue including 5 on what is called “cultured meat,” 4 on

plant-based meat/dairy alternatives, and 2 on “hybrid meat” or other alternatives.

In June 2023, the United States became the second country after Singapore to

approve the commercialization of “cultured meat” despite uncertainties about this product

(1). Failla et al. analyzed 1,151 comments submitted to the 2021 U.S. Department of

Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Services (USDA-FSIS) call on the labeling of cellcultured meat. Cultured meat was the preferred labeling term. The majority of comments

came from people with unknown affiliation. However, many comments came from farmer

advocacy groups and then cell-cultured meat companies. Comments from cell-cultured

meat companies and animal welfare associations had the highest median word count. From

a recent study, farmers do express complex and nuanced opinions related to food system

control and transparency associated with cultured meat as well as potential impacts on the

environment, the land, employment, and the life of farming/rural communities (2).

Most investment and research into cultured meat has so far occurred in the US.

However, Attwood et al. argued that cultured meat is, so far, an untapped opportunity

for the Muslim market thanks to the high projected increase in the world’s Muslim

population in Asia and Africa. Whether cultured meat can be certified as halal is therefore

of paramount importance. Then the potential acceptance of cultured meat by Muslim

consumers’ needs to be studied in detail, taking into account their specific culture.

In South-Western Europe (Italy, Portugal, and Spain), Liu et al. observed a positive

initial attitude toward cultured meat despite fragmented opinions. Indeed, almost two

thirds of the respondents were willing to taste cultured meat but only 43% to eat it regularly

and 94% would not pay more compared to conventional meat. Younger respondents,

scientists or respondents unfamiliar with the meat sector had a higher acceptance. Ethical

and environmental concerns were the major motives. Conversely, emotional resistance and

Frontiers in Nutrition