The way in which food is produced and consumed has undergone a radical transformation over the past half-century, and nowhere is this more evident than in the global meat industry. The environmental cost of intensive livestock farming — in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, and deforestation — has been well documented, (0) AS has the suffering it inflicts on billions of animals each year. 1 alarming these figures may be, the demand for meat continues to rise, driven largely by economic growth in developing nations. It is against this backdrop that a number of companies have begun to develop lab-grown alternatives — products that, 2 they indistinguishable from conventional meat, could transform the industry entirely. Were such products to become affordable 3 the mass market, the environmental benefits would be enormous. Not only 4 they drastically reduce the carbon footprint of food production, but they would also eliminate much of the animal suffering associated with industrial farming. Sceptics question 5 consumers will embrace food produced in a laboratory rather than on a farm. For 6 their reservations, early trials suggest that many people are willing to make the switch, provided the taste and texture are comparable. Whether the technology will deliver on 7 promise remains to be seen, 8 the potential is undeniable.