Can lab-grown lobster compete with Maine's most lucrative catch?

[TexasTowelie]

A food tech company in Wisconsin plans to commercialize cultured lobster meat, but industry leaders in Maine say they don't see it as an immediate threat.


With over 1,200 miles between Cultured Decadence’s headquarters in Wisconsin and the Maine coast, its foray into the lobster game may seem an unlikely choice.

But founders John Pattison and Ian Johnson don’t actually need the rocky coast or even the ocean for what they hope will become the latest crustacean sensation. All they need is a laboratory.

Cultured Decadence is a cellular agriculture startup using cell culture and tissue engineering to create shellfish products directly from cells – basically, lab-grown lobster. Labster, if you will.

The product is still a few years away from hitting store shelves, and its potential impact on Maine’s lobster fishery remains unclear. Cultured lobster is being developed at a time when plant-based meat alternatives already have become major players in the food industry, and some experts say cultured meats will comprise a large portion of the market by midcentury.

Read more: https://www.pressherald.com/2021/05/16/can-lab-grown-lobster-compete-with-maines-most-lucrative-catch/
(Portland Press Herald)