Where's the Beef?: The lab-grown-meat revolution that wasn't
Summary
Harper's Magazine delves into the cultivated-meat hype cycle, tracing the rise of lab-grown meat, the investment surge, and the eventual sober reality of regulatory, cost, and consumer-acceptance hurdles. The piece follows Believer Meats' bankruptcy, the Bezos Center's backing, and real-world tastings to show a shift from grand promises to a more cautious, niche-market trajectory. It ultimately questions who the imagined consumer is and whether scaled, affordable cultivated meat is achievable in the near term.