> “The idea that you might make synthetic fuel that has a higher energy density than petroleum while being cheaper is very alluring” Of course it sounds good - but reality isn’t that simple to twist to our desires. Impossible meat was more expensive (in spite of them running at a loss), didn’t taste as good, wasn’t any healthier, and by many accounts wasn’t any better environmentally. All downsides and no upside.

To me, it seems that the question comes down to energy efficiency. How many calories in are required to produce one calorie of beef? Our World In Data claims the efficiency is 1.9% [1], whereas Yale Center for Business and the Environment claims it's 2.5% [2]. So, it seems that if somehow you could figure out how to reconfigure plants into meat in a way that isn't as inefficient, you could come out ahead on cost. Now, maybe this is way too hard to do currently (I don't know since I don't know much of the science), but it at least seems like there could be an opportunity.

Another place where cost could cost factor in would be if governments were to enact a carbon tax (or, alternatively, tax meat, or subsidize plant based meats). If the actual cost to the environment could be reflected in the cost consumers pay, that's another opportunity for plant based meats to come out cheaper.

[1] https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/energy-efficiency-of-meat... [2] https://cbey.yale.edu/our-stories/disrupting-meat