Dylan Bettencourt
Lab-grown meat is taking the world by storm and South Africa is set to put their own spin on it, with slaughter-free wildebeest and impala meat to be introduced.
South African startup company Mogale Meat Co. already produces the continent’s first cell-based chicken and are now looking to introduce a new range of meat products.
Game meat lovers can now enjoy the taste of the meat without the animal having to be killed.
Lab-grown meat is said to be cruelty-free and is made by harvesting a small number of cells from a living animal. These cells are then cultivated in a laboratory and can be grown into full cuts of meat.
Despite the plans being in the research phase, Mogale claims the exotic meats could be on the menu later this year.
Commercial production is set to be introduced in the next three years.
CEO Paul Bartels said they are targeting “the average meat consumer” who is not interested in plant-based meat.
Mzansi Meat Co. this year released Africa’s first cultivated beef burger with the goal of supplying fast-food chains by next year.
Co-founder Brett Thompson said it needs to produce a lot more to reach that goal.
“At the moment we can only produce enough to make a single burger. We need to get to a quantity where we can produce thousands of kilograms before we can service a restaurant,” he said.
The market for slaughter-free meat products is on the rise and could be worth R375 billion by 2030, according to MyBroadband.
However, there are still fewer than 100 cell-growing companies worldwide.
South Africa seems the perfect example of where these companies could thrive, given they are the highest consumers of meat in Africa.
Mogale Meat Co. intends to use their products to offer better food security for more individuals as well as preserve wildlife in the country.
The company currently has funding from three North American companies.
But South Africa faces a hurdle before they can see lab-grown meat in stores: the lack of regulators in the country.
South Africa currently has no classification for the meat produced by cells which creates a labelling issue.
Image source: @ScienceNewsForStudents
