3D-Printed Beef: It'll Be What's For Dinner

Personally, I like faux-meat. Back in my teenage vegetarian years I lived on a steady diet of Steaklets, Stripples and Not Dogs procured from my neighborhood's shoebox-sized, dirty ol' hippie-owned health food store. I enjoy imitation meats the same way I enjoy spot-on celebrity impressions: Sometimes you want a beefy Burt Reynolds, sometimes you want a Turd Ferguson. 

Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods may have changed the game when it comes to to "beefy crumbles," but they haven't been able replace everything—while it sounds unbelievable that anyone could grow tired of a diet that consists solely of burgers and tacos, I can tell you from experience that, yes, it can happen. The fibrous, tender texture of a full steak or pork chop has so far eluded the alt-meat companies, so what are you to do if you're looking to eat less meat, want more variety, and want to completely ignore vegetables? How about chowing down on 3D-printed steak?

Alternative protein startup Novameat first introduced their meat-printing technology to the world in 2018, and is now one step closer to bringing it into our homes thanks to a large investment from New Crop Capital. The food-tech-focused venture capital firm has extensively invested in meat replacement companies, and is known for picking winners like Kite Hill, Zero Egg, and the aforementioned Beyond Meat. While the idea of 3D printed steak may be, at this moment in time, a bit difficult to swallow, remember we live in a society where people eat things like turkey bacon without asking any questions. We are at last on the precipice of the food future the Jetsons promised.