Vow Foods Grows 26.7kg of Cultured Meat in a Lab

We’ve officially grown meat in a lab, but don’t expect it in your shawarma anytime soon.

Fez– It’s official: we now have a 26.7-kilogram blob of lab-grown meat, setting a world record in cultured protein production. Groundbreaking? Technically, yes. Game-changing? Not quite, unless you think a spoonful of science steak is about to feed a nation.

For comparison, Australia produced 388,000 tonnes of chicken meat in March alone. So no, your local butcher isn’t being replaced by a petri dish anytime soon.

Vow Foods, the startup behind the record-breaking slab, is one of the most ambitious players in the cultivated meat world.

Their big promise? They say they can triple that output weekly. Sounds impressive… until you remember that we eat actual truckloads of meat every day, and we like it charred, sizzling, and probably deep-fried.

The current scale of lab-grown meat is more “science fair” than “supermarket aisle.”

But the scientists behind this culinary experiment are well aware of the mountain they’re climbing.

Tim Howitt, who works in product development at Vow, puts it delicately: the plant-based burger boom was more of a whimper.

It fizzled because people don’t like their burgers to taste like regret and pea protein. In his words, you’re stepping into a hyper-established market with very clear expectations and customers who aren’t interested in compromise.

Vow co-founder George Peppou cuts straight to the chase. “Do you want a worse burger at a higher price so the planet benefits? … Not really,” he admits.

If it’s about taste, he’s choosing the real beef burger. If it’s about sustainability, he’ll settle for a carrot. And that’s really the heart of the matter: most people don’t want a slightly sadder version of the food they love. They want either the real thing or something entirely new.

That’s why Vow is pivoting. Instead of trying to guilt-trip meat lovers into change, they’re focusing on innovation. This isn’t a beef alternative. It’s not pretending to be chicken. It’s not trying to taste like your grandma’s roast.

Instead, Vow’s lab-grown meat is marketing itself as something entirely different, something you’ve never eaten before.

That means exotic proteins, unfamiliar flavors, and a culinary experience that comes with a lab coat and a side of curiosity.

Taste first, ethics later. That’s the new mantra. Because let’s be honest: no one’s lining up to spend extra money on meat grown in a lab unless it absolutely blows their tastebuds out of orbit. Climate guilt only goes so far when you’re hungry.

So while the 26.7 kg milestone is scientifically significant, the path to your dinner plate is still long, winding, and full of skeptical carnivores.

Lab meat may be the future, but right now, it’s the very niche present, served cold… probably with a waiver.