Animal-Free Meat Produced by 3D Printing is going to Arrive on our Tables

Alternative-protein demand has boomed in recent years as environmental and health concerns drive consumers to products like faux burgers or nuggets. This has attracted venture-capital investors and food giants from Nestle to McDonald, although more needs to be done to improve the taste of products and lower prices to compete with conventional meat. Israeli startup Aleph Farms unveiled the world’s first slaughter-free ribeye steak. Barcelona-based Novameat Tech plans to start selling 3D-printed vegan meat to restaurants in Europe in 2021 as it raises funds for a production scale-up. Israel startup Redefine Meat is targeting steak houses with its 3D-printed facsimiles of beef cuts, from fillet to rump and brisket, trying to give diners the same sensory experience as eating prime beef.While Redefine is still working on flavor, 3D printers loaded with plant-based “ink” can print the meat countless times and deliver a complex layering of muscle, blood and fat to recreate the right texture. In February 2021, Redefine Meat raised $29 million in funding to build a large-scale pilot factory and begin sales later this year.