Project Grant 20246702342682

** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** CELL-CULTIVATED MEAT IS A NEW APPROACH TO PRODUCING MEAT PRODUCTS THAT INVOLVES GROWING ANIMAL TISSUE IN BIOREACTORS WITHOUT SLAUGHTERING ANIMALS. IT HAS ATTRACTED CONSIDERABLE INVESTMENT AND RESEARCH INTEREST FOR ITS POTENTIAL TO SUSTAINABLY AND ETHICALLY MEET CONSUMER DEMAND FOR PROTEIN-RICH FOODS. AT SCALE, HOWEVER, CELL-CULTIVATED MEAT REPRESENTS AN EXISTENTIAL THREAT TO LIVESTOCK PRODUCERS AND THEIR COMMUNITIES. THE SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE GROWTH OF THIS TECHNOLOGY FOR LIVESTOCK SUPPLY CHAINS REMAIN A VASTLY UNDERSTUDIED AREA, WITH NO RESEARCH TO DATE ON US FARMERS AND RANCHERS, WORKERS, OR RURAL COMMUNITIES. ADDITIONALLY, WHILE METHODS EXIST TO ESTIMATE THE IMPACTS OF CURRENT FOOD SUPPLY CHAINS ON DIFFERENT GROUPS OF STAKEHOLDERS (E.G., WORKERS, COMMUNITIES), THERE ARE NO METHODS AVAILABLE TO RIGOROUSLY PROJECT HOW NOVEL FOOD TECHNOLOGIES MIGHT AFFECT THESE STAKEHOLDERS IN THE NEAR FUTURE. THE GOALS OF THIS PROJECT ARE TO 1) INVESTIGATE THE SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF CELL-CULTIVATED MEAT TECHNOLOGY ON THE LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY, WITH A PARTICULAR FOCUS ON MEATPACKING WORKERS AND COW-CALF PRODUCERS, AND 2) TO DEVELOP A METHODOLOGY THAT PROJECTS THE POTENTIAL SOCIAL IMPACTS OF NEW FOOD TECHNOLOGIES ALONG THE SUPPLY CHAIN (I.E., PROSPECTIVE SOCIAL LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT OR PROSPECTIVE S-LCA).OUR TEAM WILL USE MIXED METHODS - ENCOMPASSING INTERVIEWS, FOCUS GROUPS, SURVEYS, AND CHOICE EXPERIMENTS - TO UNDERSTAND MEATPACKING WORKERS AND BEEF PRODUCERS' CONCERNS AND TECHNOLOGICAL IMPACTS ON THEIR LIVELIHOODS AND COMMUNITIES, AS WELL AS TO INVESTIGATE HOW THESE CONCERNS ALIGN WITH CONSUMER PRIORITIES. THROUGH PROSPECTIVE S-LCA, WE WILL ALSO MODEL THE IMPACTS THAT CELL-CULTIVATED BEEF COULD HAVE ON BEEF SUPPLY CHAINS NATIONWIDE UNDER VARIOUS SCENARIOS. THE RESULTS OF OUR STUDY WILL PROVIDE A GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF 1) THE CONCERNS AND PREFERENCES OF COW-CALF PRODUCERS AND OTHER BEEF SUPPLY CHAIN STAKEHOLDERS IN THE CONTEXT OF CELL-CULTIVATED MEAT DEVELOPMENT; 2) THE DEGREE OF ALIGNMENT BETWEEN PRODUCER CONCERNS AND CONSUMER PERCEPTIONS; AND 3) THE EXTENT TO WHICH CELL-CULTIVATED BEEF MAY HAVE DETRIMENTAL, BENEFICIAL, OR NEUTRAL SOCIAL IMPACTS RELATIVE TO BEEF UNDER A VARIETY OF FUTURE SCENARIOS. WE WILL ALSO IDENTIFY POTENTIAL MARKET-BASED OPPORTUNITIES TO SUPPORT BEEF PRODUCER ADAPTATION TO TECHNOLOGICAL DISRUPTION FROM CELL-CULTIVATED MEAT. FINALLY, WE WILL DEVELOP AND DISSEMINATE A NOVEL, WIDELY APPLICABLE METHODOLOGY TO ASSESS POTENTIAL SOCIAL IMPACTS OF NEW FOOD TECHNOLOGIES.