Context:

Lab-grown cheese is on the horizon as companies like Better Dairy in London and Those Vegan Cowboys in the Netherlands aim to revolutionize the market with products that mimic the taste of traditional dairy cheese. Despite a decline in plant-based cheese sales and a small vegan population in the UK, these companies are optimistic about the potential for lab-grown cheese, citing the health benefits of lower cholesterol and saturated fats. Challenges remain, including consumer concerns about ultra-processed foods and the higher cost of plant-based options, but the strategic use of partnerships aims to enhance production and reduce prices. Better Dairy uses precision fermentation with genetically modified yeast to produce casein, combining it with plant-based fats to create cheese with a taste closer to the real thing. The success of lab-grown cheese will depend on overcoming taste preferences and consumer perceptions of dairy as a natural product, as well as addressing the quality issues that have plagued earlier vegan cheese alternatives.

Dive Deeper:

• Better Dairy, a start-up in London, is producing lab-grown cheese by using genetically modified yeast to create casein, a key milk protein, which is then combined with plant-based fats to mimic the taste of dairy cheese.

• The market for plant-based cheese has seen a decline, with sales dropping by 25.6% in the UK as consumer preferences lean towards traditional dairy products, partly due to the small percentage of vegans in the population.

• Challenges for lab-grown cheese include consumer concerns over ultra-processed foods and the higher costs compared to dairy cheese, but companies argue that their products offer health benefits like lower cholesterol and saturated fats.

• Companies like Those Vegan Cowboys are targeting easier-to-replace cheeses, such as those used on pizzas and burgers, and aim to introduce their products to the US and European markets, pending regulatory approval for novel foods.

• Better Dairy has yet to launch its products due to current high production costs but plans to do so in a few years when prices are expected to become more competitive with traditional cheese.

• Standing Ovation, another player in the lab-grown cheese market, has partnered with Bel, makers of BabyBel, to improve the quality of vegan cheese analogues, hoping to overcome initial unpopularity due to taste issues.

• Consumer perception of dairy as a 'natural' product is a significant hurdle for lab-grown cheese, as people often have romanticized views of dairy farming, despite its industrialized nature, according to industry experts.