Inverse, By Mike Brown on August 14, 2019 Filed Under Environment, Public Health & Startups Lab-grown meat is stepping out of the lab. The promising alternative to both traditional meat and plant-based substitutes, in-vitro meat first burst onto the scene in 2013 when researcher Mark Post held a tasting session for the world’s first burger of its kind at a television studio in London. Six years later, the technology is maturing. It now looks set to arrive in consumers’ mouths as early as 2021. Unlike Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat which use plants to try and recreate the taste of meat, lab-grown meat takes a slightly different approach. It takes the stem cells from an animal and places them in a bioreactor, encouraging the growth of more cells that can be used to create a new cut of meat. The idea caused a stir last week when the Wall Street Journal reported on something altogether more exotic — lab-grown kangaroo. The technology enables scientists to grow all manner of stem cells in a lab, meaning designers could create a wide variety of meats. [Inverse is an American digital media company covering topics such as technology, science, and culture for a millennial audience]