Cultured meat and I go way back. And like all long relationships, it is complicated. Over the years, I have swung from hopeful to skeptical to outright dismissive. Now, I have landed somewhere in the middle, in a more nuanced place. Not only about the future of cultured meat, but also about the role of technology in a regenerative food system.

From Obsession to Publication

In high school, I was fascinated (and perhaps slightly obsessed) with cultured meat and grabbed every chance to make it the subject of my projects.

For anyone new to the concept: cultured meat is grown from animal stem cells in a laboratory. It is created without extensive animal raising and slaughtering, which means fewer ethical dilemmas and environmental downsides.

My fascination carried into university, where I wrote my bachelor’s thesis on the sustainability of cultured meat. It was eventually published in the journal Sustainability Science. In the article, I explored the stories we tell about cultured meat, its promises, pitfalls, and potential as a sustainable alternative to conventional meat.

Cracks in the Hype

But something shifted during that research. I became less convinced that cultured meat was the silver bullet for the problems in our food system. It started to look more like a technological band-aid.

Yes, it will reduce animal suffering and mitigate environmental concerns, but it does not address deeper issues, like overconsumption, ethical responsibility, and resilient food networks.

Instead, I began to see cultured meat as a distraction. A smoke screen that lets us avoid tough conversations about how we produce and consume our food.

Add to that the hurdles of scaling the technology, consumer hesitance, and uncertainty about the benefits and I wondered: why not focus on a proven, effective solution like a shift to plant based diets?

Swinging to the Prophet

Not long after, I dove into the movement of regeneration and discovered a different approach: regenerative agriculture, circular farming systems, and integrated livestock management.

I wanted to learn everything about working with nature to make our food systems stronger, fairer and cleaner. At this point, I believed technology was not the answer. Nature was.

In more technical terms, I had swung from a Wizard to a Prophet stance, stemming from Charles C. Mann’s book The Wizard and the Prophet.

The Wizard believes scientific and technological developments will overcome the limitations of natural systems and solve environmental problems. In contrast, the Prophet says we need to focus on reducing consumption, conserving nature, and living within natural limits to avoid ecological disasters.

So, I went full Prophet.

Learning to Live in the Middle

During my master’s, I took courses on state-of-the-art food innovations taught by people who still believe in the Wizard’s power. Slowly, I found myself softening.

Maybe the truth is less about embracing one stance and more about context.

In some places, it makes sense to lean on the wisdom of nature and co-create farming systems that include some livestock. In the bigger picture, this needs to be complemented with plant-based meat alternatives and cultured meat to fill supply gaps and support a broader shift toward responsible food production.

A Complementary Future

It is not nature versus technology. It is about finding ways they can complement each other. Different tools for different problems, contexts, and communities.

It is a Wizard and Prophet walking side by side, challenging each other with critical questions about which approach fits each situation best.

Vegans will not suddenly embrace lab-grown meat. Foodies will not abandon their marbled Wagyu steaks for a lab-grown nugget.

But the person waiting in line for a cheap, ultra-processed burger at McDonald’s? If they are already happy to eat something of questionable origin, why not swap it for an identically tasting version that is more ethical and sustainable?

By moving (a part of) our meat production from the land to the bioreactor, land is freed up and can be used for nature conservation purposes. Thus, technology supporting nature.

That is where cultured meat might quietly do its work. Not as a miracle cure, not as a distraction. But as one tool among many, helping us build a better food system.