Welcome to the future; either a petri dish or additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, may be our next great source of protein. I recently saw a news clip of a Netherlands University growing a hamburger in a test tube that initially cost more than $300K and now runs about 12 bucks. It is expected to be commercially viable in 20-30 years. As an organic vegetable and grass-fed beef kind of guy, this concept can get me a bit riled up as I compare the benefits of eating whole foods grown in nutrient rich soil. Those that are concerned about a pending population boom with the threat of mass starvation scramble to figure out a solution to the potential shortage. Printed food may be limited to answering space travel nutrition, but there may be a bit of trickle down happening, after all we received Tang from the space program. The lifestyle of the Jetson’s cartoon may make great strides during this generation with such attempts to reach Mars, mine asteroids, and holiday space travel. The bold future is rapidly approaching and it may first show up on your dinner plate.

Are you ready for a radically different source of protein? What do you feel will be required to sell you on the product? Do you think technology will be able to equal or surpass mother nature? Would you classify this food as a GMO and have the same reservations? What natural elements are you willing to compromise on? What are your thoughts about how this would change the farming industry? What other thoughts about the future apply?