Quote Originally Posted by Xyril View Post
I don't know how much more efficiency we can squeeze out of raising meat (so maybe lab-grown beef will always have an advantage in terms of space), but I can definitely envision an economy where compact "ranching" of crickets or guinea pigs (or some genetically engineered creature) becomes a widespread, inexpensive source of animal protein for direct consumption, while lab-meats that mimic terrestrial animals command a premium.
Regular method of obtaining animal protein is inherently inefficient as you have to use disproportionate amount of food to raise the animal. This means that there is a big room for improvement and the direct cultivation of meat does have potential for higher efficiency. It is obviously still a very long road and there might be some serious setbacks preventing this technology from being widespread. At the same time, this is pretty cool.