LabBeef Concept

LabBeef Concept

Packaging Design

300gsm Hot Pressed Card | Pine Shavings

Speculative Design

What is it?

LabBeef is a speculative food brand concept

Core Intention

Reframing lab-grown steak as a luxury product for high-volume beef consumers.

01

Bought as a treat for a special occasion, shared with family or friends

02

Unboxed by breaking the branded pine-shaving seal, then unfolding the packaging into a pedestal

03

Cooked and served the way traditional beef would be, preserving familiar rituals. Same taste, much smaller environmental impact

User Journey

The packaging system emphasises ritual and status: a box that opens ceremonially, breaking a branded pine shaving seal to reveal the steak on a pedestal. Natural and sustainable materials: recycled cardboard, Natureflex® vacuum wrap, and local off-cut pine.

Sustainability

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Campbell, C. (2021) ‘How China could change the world by taking meat off the menu’. Time. Available at: https://time.com/5930095/china-plant-based-meat/.

Capodici, A. et al. (2024) ‘Cardiovascular health and cancer risk associated with plant based diets: An umbrella review’, PLOS ONE, 19(5), article e0300711.

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Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (n.d.) Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs.

Dinu, M. et al. (2017) ‘Vegetarian, vegan diets and multiple health outcomes: A systematic review with meta-analysis of observational studies’, Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 57(17), pp. 3640–3649.

Good Food Institute (n.d.) Good Food Institute. Available at: https://gfi.org/.

Goodier, M. and Sunnemark, V. (2024) ‘UK meat consumption at lowest level since records began, data reveals’. The Guardian.

Henley, J., Jones, S., Giuffrida, A. and Oltermann, P. (2022) ‘Greens v “beefatarians”: Europeans go to war over their dinner’. The Guardian, 21 January. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/21/the-greens-want-to-take-our-meat-away-europeans-go-to-war-over-their-dinner.

International Energy Agency (2023a) Global methane tracker 2023. Paris: International Energy Agency. Available at: https://www.iea.org/reports/global-methane-tracker-2023.

Love, H.J. and Sulikowski, D. (2018) ‘Of meat and men: Sex differences in implicit and explicit attitudes toward meat’, Frontiers in Psychology, 9, article 559.

Mertens, A. et al. (2020) ‘Valuing humans over animals – Gender differences in meat-eating behavior and the role of the Dark Triad’, Appetite, 146, article 104516.

OECD/FAO (2023) OECD-FAO agricultural outlook 2023–2032. Paris: OECD Publishing. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1787/08801ab7-en.

Outrage + Optimism (n.d.) Hungry for alternatives [Podcast episode]. Available at: https://www.outrageandoptimism.org/episodes/hungry-for-alternatives.

Pohjolainen, P. et al. (2015) ‘Consumers’ perceived barriers to following a plant-based diet’, British Food Journal, 117(3), pp. 1150–1167.

Rimini Protokoll (n.d.) Hauptversammlung. Available at: https://www.rimini-protokoll.de/website/en/project/hauptversammlung.

Rose, D. et al. (2022) ‘Single-item substitutions can substantially reduce the carbon and water scarcity footprints of US diets’, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 115(2), pp. 378–387.

Serraj, R. and Pingali, P. (2018) Agriculture & food systems to 2050: Global trends, challenges and opportunities. World Scientific Publishing Co.

Soil Association (n.d.) Soil Association. Available at: https://www.soilassociation.org/.

Systemiq (2023) [Sustainable battery recycling: Executive summary]. Available at: https://www.systemiq.earth/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Sustainable-Battery-Recycling-ES.pdf.

The Yes Men (n.d.) [Hijinks project archive]. Available at: https://theyesmen.org/hijinks-all.

Timeo, S. and Suitner, C. (2018) ‘Eating meat makes you sexy: Conformity to dietary gender norms and attractiveness’, Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 19(3), pp. 418–429.

United Kingdom (2006) Animal Welfare Act 2006, c. 45. Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/45/contents.

Uteuova, A. (2023) ‘High steaks society: Who are the 12% of people consuming half of all beef in the US?’ (Accessed: 27 May 2024).

Verbeke, W. et al. (2010) ‘European beef consumers’ interest in a beef eating-quality guarantee: Insights from a qualitative study in four EU countries’, Appetite, 54(2), pp. 289–296.

References

SOPHIE RAIKA NÄTHER

© Sophie Raika Näther 2026

SOPHIE RAIKA NÄTHER

© Sophie Raika Näther 2026

SOPHIE RAIKA NÄTHER

© Sophie Raika Näther 2026