AMR Software
AMR Data Centers

Poll of the Week: Would You Eat 3D Printed Meat or Fish?

Share this Article

While 3D printed cultivated meat is definitely still a very novel concept, there have been significant milestones in the pioneering alternative meat industry over the past decade. So in our latest Poll of the Week, we decided to ask our LinkedIn followers if they would ever consider trying 3D printed meat or fish…and the answer was a resounding NO.

15% of respondents said they would absolutely try it, and 36% said that, while it seems kind of weird, they’d try a little. Only 4% had already tried it. Finally, a whopping 44% said they definitely wouldn’t try 3D printed meat or fish because they wanted, in my words, “the real thing.”

Lab-grown meat was already being considered in the 90s, but in 2011, Modern Meadow became one of the earliest startups in the alternative meat space that considered combining biotechnology with 3D printing. Cultured meat really got going in 2018, as investments poured in to fuel advances in and production of “fake” meats. In 2020, the U.S., European Union (EU), Singapore, Israel, U.K., Australia, and Canada began developing guidelines for lab-grown meats, and by 2022, conversations around the world about alternative meats were focused on legislation and scaling up.

Of course, there are plenty of issues with 3D printed meats, such as environmental concerns about the sustainability of lab-grown meats and the diverse regulatory environment. A law was approved in Italy, as 3DPrint.com Senior Writer Vanesa Listek explains, that bans “the use, sale, import, and export of lab-grown food and animal feed derived from vertebrate animals” in order to preserve conventional food production methods. But, lab-grown meats have many important benefits as well, such as decreased greenhouse gas emissions and the fact that you could enjoy a hamburger without contributing to the often unethical or cruel practices surrounding the animal slaughtering industry.

Printing a steak. Image courtesy of Steakholder Foods.

To the naysayers—I get it, I really do. If you love the flavor, smell, texture, etc. of real meat and seafood, it’s hard to imagine those qualities being replicated in a fake version created in a lab and on a 3D printer. I would eat shrimp until the cows came home, and then I’d probably eat the cow, too. But as I always say, we’ve only got one planet, and if eating alternative meats can help even a little in making sure the earth stays around for many future generations, then pass me a fork.

Featured image courtesy of Revo Foods.



Share this Article


Recent News

Nano Dimension Evaluates Desktop Metal Post-Takeover, Completes Acquisition of Markforged

Luxury Residential Resort Community in Texas to Feature 5 ICON 3D Printed Homes



Categories

3D Design

3D Printed Art

3D Printed Food

3D Printed Guns


You May Also Like

New Business: Temporary, Migratory, & Modular 3D Printed Architecture

If we look at potentially emerging 3D printing businesses, then architecture has not been fully explored. Yes, there is a lot of house 3D printing going on worldwide. From deployable...

3D Printing News Briefs, April 19, 2025: Material Extrusion Standard, Metal Powder, & More

In today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, we’re covering a proposed standard for material extrusion, before moving on to business and metal powder. We’ll end with a commercial store’s robotic 3D...

Japan Unveils World’s First 3D Printed Train Station

Japan is now home to what we believe is the world’s first train station built with 3D printing technology. Located in Arida City, just south of Osaka, the new Hatsushima...

restor3d Raises $38M to Expand 3D Printed Orthopedic Implants

Backed by $38 million in new funding, restor3d is pushing ahead with the launch of four personalized implant lines, set to roll out in 2025 and 2026. This latest venture...