Part of the Society matters LIVE event series
The demand for animal-based foods will increase by 70% in 2050 to feed the predicted 9.8 billion people. Yet currently, 800 million people worldwide suffer from hunger and malnutrition, the livestock industry is responsible for 12-18% of the total greenhouse gas emissions and the leading direct driver for deforestation, and increased meat production and factory farming are the top most likely causes of the next pandemic due to the extensive use of antibiotics and increasing emergence of zoonotic diseases.
Cultivated or lab grown meat offers a safer, more sustainable and animal cruelty-free alternative for consumers. It is a relatively new food technology and much work still needs to be done to make it affordable and on a massive scale. Cultivated meat research at Aston University focuses on the ‘scaffolds’ needed for the animal cells to attach to in order to create the meat mass, as well as the psychological and practical barriers to its acceptance and consumption. Dr Eirini Theodosiou and Dr Jason Thomas explore what is cultivated - or lab-produced - meat and what factors can influence consumers on buying it and eating it.
- Dr Eirini Theodosiouis a senior lecturer in the School of lnfrastructure and Sustainable Engineering, Aston University.
- Dr Jason Thomas is a senior lecturer in the School of Psychology, Aston University.
Explore the full Society matters LIVE event series line-up: https://www.aston.ac.uk/bss/social-sciences-and-humanities/society-matters-live
Catch up on all episodes of the Society matters podcast: https://www.aston.ac.uk/bss/social-sciences-and-humanities/society-matters-podcast
Dates, times and locations
This limited-capacity event is free to attend and open to all members of the public.
Doors to the venue open from 17:00.
