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Scientists have finally found a cost-effective way to produce lab-grown meat that tastes the same or better than the real thing. This welcome announcement comes at a time when meat is at a premium. Ever since the drought of 2042, parched grazing lands have been decimated by devastating fires. Only the wealthiest citizens can afford the high cost of a pound of ground beef. Steak is a luxury reserved only for the privileged few. Ordinary people must subsist on the nutrients that can be derived from the bones and offal from the slaughterhouse.

Entrepreneurs have seized on the technology and are busy constructing vast biolabs that will be used to produce enough consumable flesh to feed millions. The demand for skilled workers means that schools will be enrolling new students eager to learn the latest techniques in biotechnology. Toby Marples, an instructor at the Community College of Applied Sciences, says that “this astounding new technology is going to end hunger as we know it.”

Although scientists developed the ability to grow lab meat in the early 21st century, the cost of mass-production was a hurdle that had to be conquered before it became a viable method of sustaining the population. During the beginning stages of development, most individuals who learned of the technology were repelled by the thought of eating lab-produced meat. Some had ethical concerns, while others feared that scientists were “playing God.” At the time, meat was still readily available to the average citizen. Children today are accustomed to the protein supplements and nutritional shakes that make up the bulk of the modern diet, but some of the older generation still recall the long supermarket cooler cases displaying all types of meat available for purchase to the average citizen.

Using stem cells grown in a bioreactor, scientists stimulate production of muscle cells, which are grown on a protein scaffolding. Recent advances in cold fusion technology has made the large demand for electricity needed for meat production less expensive. This enables production of millions of pounds of meat in a few weeks. Testing has shown that the meat is superior to animal flesh in taste, appearance, and nutritional value. Fat content is reduced to the minimal amount necessary for optimal nutrition. The chances of bacterial and viral contamination are much lower, since the meat is grown in aseptic, sterile conditions.

Scientists have perfected the technology of meat-production, and a hungry public is now open to the idea of consuming lab-grown meat. Soon, the slaughterhouses will be torn down to make room for massive biolabs that have the potential to end malnutrition and hunger in the modern world.