From lab to table: promissory narratives and the future of protein production in response to global crises

Abstract

Abstract. Promotional videos are a key site through which cellular agriculture (CellAg) companies present cultured meat as a response to food system and environmental crises. Yet research on promissory narratives around alternative proteins has focused mainly on textual and news media, leaving the audio-visual organization of these promises underexplored. This paper analyses 41 promotional videos produced by CellAg companies and asks how they translate cellular-level bio-technological processes and planetary-scale crises into persuasive narratives of sustainable protein futures. Using qualitative multi-modal coding, we identify six recurring narrative patterns through which videos link laboratory scenes, crisis imagery, consumer spaces, and ethical appeals. Interpreting these patterns through Latour's concept of translation, we show that the videos do more than describe a technology: they align scientific expertise, future-oriented promises, and affective attachments in ways that render CellAg intelligible and desirable to non-expert publics. We argue that these promotional videos function as translational infrastructures that help companies frame cultured meat as a credible, investable, and morally desirable component of future protein production. In doing so, this paper contributes to research on promissory narratives, multi-modal communication, and the politics of emerging food technologies.