Wanting to become eco-responsible often opposes our traditions, our tastes and our way of life, because eating also means celebrating know-how, cultures and daily work of those who feed the world. And this, despite the advances in synthetic or molecular agriculture.
Make cow-free butter that grazes in our fields, using only carbon and hydrogen laboratory products: science fiction or food revolution? Carried by climate urgency and the desire to reduce the use of resources, a new generation of philanthropists and investors relies on rupture solutions to produce differently.
This is the case of Savor, a company established in the Chicago region and funded by billionaire Bill Gates. Savor claims to have developed a product that has the taste and texture of butter. Unlike margarine, developed from vegetable oils from agricultural crops such as soyle or canola, this “butter” comes from animals or plants. The fat molecules are reconstructed in the laboratory from carbon dioxide captured in the air and hydrogen extracted from the water, then transformed by a heating and oxidation process. This process reproduces the structure of natural fats present in beef, cheese or vegetable oils, while completely free from traditional agricultural production.
On the environmental level, the imprint is considerably reduced. On the commercial level, the company aims at a marketing within 12 to 18 months, without however advancing on the price. This product will probably be positioned with organic butter, therefore at a higher price than the average.
As for its nutritional value, the company remains discreet.
Molecular agriculture, or synthetic food production, has aroused growing interest in recent years. Meat, coffee, cocoa, seafood: everything seems to be able to be reproduced. These products are often presented as miracle solutions for the planet. However, the aspects that really matter to consumers come down to labeling, price, taste and nutritional value, which is rarely put forward.
Sometimes we even border on ridicule. In 2023, a British company announced that it could be able to make ice cream… based on recycled plastic. Yes, plastic. How far will we go to save the planet?
With the food sciences, we must also remain cautious. History reminds us that certain innovations, formerly presented as advances, have proven to be problematic. Everyone remember trans fat: long used to improve the texture and duration of conservation of products, they ended up being banished because of their harmful effects on health.
This is where the rub. Food is not reduced to calories produced with a minimum of resources. It is also a vector of pride, a cultural expression rooted in millennial traditions. Our food choices are not only aligned with the environment.
According to the food feelings index published by our laboratory last spring, only 9 % of consumers consider the environment as their main purchase criterion.
Admittedly, research in cellular or molecular agriculture has its place, but it must be done for the right reasons. To claim “playing God” to nourish the world or adopt an eco -authoritarian approach risks hitting the consumer. The projects that do not integrate the cultural, economic and sensory dimension of food miss the essential: we also eat to support our farmers, our companies and the communities that live from this work.
The food future will not be limited to a scientific equation or a reduction in carbon footprint. He will have to convince just as much by taste, transparency, prize and respect for culinary traditions.
