Author: Alexandra Plakias, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Hamilton College

What will the diets of the future look like? The answer depends in part on what foods Westerners can be persuaded to eat. These consumers are increasingly being told their diets need to change. Current eating habits are unsustainable, and the global demand for meat is growing. Recent years have seen increased interest and investment in what are called alternative proteins – products that can replace typical meats with more sustainable alternatives. One option is cultivated, or cultured, meat and seafood: muscle tissue grown in labs in bioreactors, using animal stem cells. Another approach involves replacing standard meat with such…