A recent survey revealed that 60 percent of vegans would try lab-grown meat – a greater percentage than any other dietary group polled.

Commissioned by PR company Ingredient Communications, data collector Surveygoo polled over 1,000 vegans, vegetarians, pescatarians, and omnivores, finding pescatarians to be the least likely to try the product.

Animal use

Grown from animal stem cells – and often including the use of foetal blood plasma harvested from unborn calves – lab grown meat is not technically vegan, but seen by many as a better alternative to mass slaughter, and less of a detriment to our environment.

Some companies, including JUST, claim that they’ve found a workaround for this – which would make the product fully vegan.

Growing popularity

The lab-grown meat industry is still in the developmental stage, but has received significant attention in the media – with Memphis Meat’s CEO on the cover of Inc. Magazine in November, and JUST’s saying lab-grown meat will be in restaurants by the end of the year.

Unsurprisingly, 41 percent of Brits surveyed by Starcom expect to be eating lab-grown meat within a decade.

Ethical concerns

Founder and Managing Director of Ingredient Communications Richard Clarke cited a number of reasons for the attention lab-grown meat is receiving.

He said: “People are asking themselves whether eating meat is the right thing to do in terms of health, animal welfare and sustainability.”