MEAT THE FUTURE: This documentary will change your mind about meat protein grown in a lab
Meat the Future has already made an impact. Variety labeled the film as 'thorough and persuasive,' and Toronto entertainment magazine The Gate named it a 'must-see.'
CHARLOTTE POINTING: A new feature-length documentary, Meat the Future, directed by Liz Marshall, follows the story of Dr. Uma Valeti, a former leading cardiologist, and his lab-grown meat company Memphis Meats. Valeti—who was born and raised in Vijayawada, India before moving to the U.S. to study and work—has always loved science. It’s a passion he inherited from his mum and his dad, a science teacher and a veterinarian respectively.
He has also always loved meat. But he was particularly unsettled by slaughterhouses and the meat production system. Instead of viewing this process as a necessary evil for the foods he enjoyed, he sought a solution. Inspired by stem cell research in the cardiology field, Valeti started experimenting with growing meat in the lab. He eventually left medicine to grow steaks and burgers from cells, but he had no idea where it would take him. It was a pure leap of faith.
And it paid off. Valeti went from a man with a small team and a dream to the CEO of a company that has not only raised $180 million in funding, but could help to change the entire landscape of the meat production system… Marshall based the film around Valeti’s personal story to “humanize” the topic of lab-grown meat, which is also referred to as cell-based meat or clean meat…
Lab-grown meat is a sustainable option for people who want to make a positive impact, but not necessarily give up their Thanksgiving turkey or traditional hot dog at the ballpark. The plant-based meat industry can cater to those people too, but as Marshall pointed out, “the whole world is not going vegan or vegetarian.” Lab-grown meat can give meat-eaters the very same products. The only change is in how they are produced.
Marshall explained: “Most of the world eats meat, so there need to be solutions that provide meat in a new way. This innovation is the next step in our evolutionary process when it comes to looking at food production.” “Cell-based meat has the potential to really reach meat-eaters in a broad and vast way,” she added. “[Transformation] is the keyword for me. [It’s] how I view it and how I witnessed it; it’s transformative”…
Meat the Future has already made an impact in the film world. It was recently selected as a special representation film at Hot Docs Canadian International Film Festival, the biggest documentary festival in North America. Hollywood trade magazine Variety labeled the film as “thorough and persuasive,” and Toronto entertainment magazine The Gate named it a “must-see.” It’s slated for general release in October on CBC’s Documentary Channel…
The meat industry is worth $1.4 trillion dollars, but even it has shown that it’s ready for change. When Valeti, Memphis Meats, and the countless other cultured meat companies bring their first product to market, we, as consumers, must embrace it, says Marshall… “Plant-based meat and cell-based meat is the future, and that’s something hopeful to work towards and look forward to”. SOURCE…
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