A few years ago, I attended the Annual Meeting of the Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology. One session featured lectures on how microbes and tissue culture cells can be used not only to make foods like meat and milk, but also plant-based leather and silk products.
The lecturers noted that these products are particularly appealing to Gen Z and Millennials. According to their marketing research, this appeal is due, in part, to concerns about sustainability, climate change, animal welfare, and other environmental or altruistic issues.
What I found interesting is that many of these food and non-food products are made via GMO technology. For example, you may be surprised to learn that the Impossible product line is GMO. Thus, it’s a bit of a conundrum, since conventional wisdom is that many of the consumers who are attracted to plant-based animal products are the very same consumers who are also opposed to GMO.
Evidently this may not the case, especially for Millennials. Can you explain this?
Image from thespoon.tech