Imagine a food system where you can have a lean, perfectly marbled steak without the moral implications of conventionally raised beef or a perfectly crisp mesclun salad without the slightest hint of pesticides? The burgeoning agri-food tech sector promises to make these ‘something from (almost) nothing’ dreams a reality, but by what pernicious processes?
Drawing on data collected on alternative protein companies that are based in or have come through Silicon Valley, Guthman and Biltekoff catalog and examine company representations of their various de-materialization promises. In attempting to meet the tripartite, yet competing imperatives of Silicon Valley innovation, namely disruption, transparency, and secrecy, their analysis finds that these representations of corporate processes obfuscate more than they reveal, making it difficult for the public to weigh the promises against the potential consequences.
Read the full piece in Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space.