Can you imagine sitting down at a restaurant and asking for printed steak? “Would you like it on the Red/Blue/Green scale or black and white?” While we realize the advancements in 3D technology have actually allowed for a more precise outcome, it still doesn’t make up for the fact it is not real beef. Technology is an amazing thing that we take for granted in our day-to-day lives and something we use everyday on the farm or on the ranch. However, in an attempt to appeal to more plant-based or vegan consumers, Redefine Meat has released its new beef alternative product — Alt-Steak.
This is not the first attempt companies have made to find an alternative to beef. Everything from Impossible Burgers to plant-based steaks have been making their way to grocery stores and fast food restaurants for a while now. However, this the first type of “steak” to come from a 3D printer. Redefine Meat’s Alt-Steak products will be put to the test at a limited number of restaurants later this year and will be available to market distribution in 2o21.
According to a statement by Redefine Meat, “Layer by layer, the company’s proprietary industrial-scale 3D food printers create the Alt-Steak products using Redefine Meat’s Alt-Muscle, Alt-Fat, and Alt-Blood plant-based formulations.” The company prints with multiple materials to create their products.
However, concerns are on the rise when we look into the ingredients for these products. What exactly goes into these products? This topic has come up before when talking about plant-based alternatives. Read here to see why the Impossible Burger’s “blood” is raising eyebrows . According to an article on 3dprint.com, Redefine Meat’s co-founder and CEO Eshchar Ben-Shitrit said, “We use natural, approved-for-consumption and sustainable ingredients. At this point, we can’t share more than that.”
While there is a place at the table for all types of nutrition, I will still order my steak medium rare.
