Kiwi farmers are raising a stink over proposed ‘fart tax’ legislation. 💨 But with agriculture making up nearly half of New Zealand greenhouse gas emissions, and agriculture land and water use under the spotlight, will more of tomorrow’s BBQs be cooked up in the lab? From Sergey Brin-backed burgers* to salmon and faux foie gras, meat production might become less about Frank from the farm 👨‍🌾 and more Frank N Furter’s science experiment. 👩‍🔬 

We’re not talking only bloody plant-based meat. Like Beyond Meat (BYND), which this week launched their ’juicy’ steak alternative following declining sales. 🥩 This, after announcing they’re culling 19% of their workforce after reporting grisly US$97.1 million sales losses and their shares falling nearly 80% year-to-date. ⚰  We’re also talking test tube ‘clean meat’ grown from animal stem cells, like Eat Just’s chicken nuggets, approved for sale in Singapore. 🧫 

Allied Market Research indicates that the cultivated meat market, valued at US$1.64 million in 2021, could reach US$2,788.1 million value by 2030. And meat producing giant Tyson Foods (TSN) has shown they’re not ready to be axed by consumers with climate concerns. Their Tyson Ventures has invested in biotechnology company Future Meat, which this year produced their first cultivated lamb, and plans to break ground on their US factory in 2023 to grow cultivated chicken. 🍗 

Synthetic meat investors Bill Gates, Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos keep biting into the lab grown pie, too. 🥧 Among their newer investments is Ginkgo BioWorks’ (DNA) venture, Motif FoodWorks - which also includes Kiwi investor, Fonterra. Ginkgo scientists splice DNA strands and genetically programme cells. 🧬 Through Motif FoodWorks, Ginkgo hopes to carve into the ‘US$1 trillion’ beef and dairy industry. So, d’you feel like lab-grown sushi, burgers or chicken nuggets tonight? 🍣🍔

* No animals were harmed in the writing of this article