Is the future of meat palatable?: An analysis of online opinions on in-vitro meat

Global livestock production represents a significant environmental challenge, yet levels of meat consumption remain high in the West and continue to grow in the developing world. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that global demand for meat will increase 73% by 2050. To help minimize the environmental implications of this increased demand for meat, lab scientists have been working to develop in-vitro meat (IVM). It is anticipated that IVM, which is grown in a lab from animal muscle cells, will both use fewer resources and be substantially less emissions intensive than meat derived from farmed animals. IVM may also have a lower fat content than traditional meat and reduce the risk of food borne illness.

Yet for all of its environmental and public health benefits, public acceptance of IVM remains unclear. Straddling the line between an emerging technology and a common foodstuff, IVM represents something novel both for consumers and the field of public health. To understand the feasibility of public acceptance of IVM, we conducted a qualitative thematic analysis of the comments made on online news articles that highlighted the development of the world’s first IVM hamburger in August 2013. Online comment analysis is recognized as an emerging method for capturing public opinion and discourse without researcher intervention. Seven articles and eight hundred and fourteen comments were examined. Key themes in public acceptance and rejection of IVM will be discussed, as will implications for the development and promotion of environmentally sustainable diets.