We once worried about junk food. Now we’re debating whether meat should come with a ‘lab-grown’ certificate. Advocates promise sustainability, efficiency, and guilt-free protein; American critics, often in cowboy boots, insist food should moo first. Both are right—and missing the irony.
Texas recently banned lab-grown meat in defence of its beefy tradition; Indian labs and startups are investing in it under the banner of ahimsa, cultivating meat without slaughter. Same technology, opposite symbolism.
Cellular agriculture isn’t just changing what we eat. It’s about who defines authenticity when technology can imitate almost anything. We may reduce suffering and emissions—but we might also lose the habit of knowing where anything truly comes from.