Plastic ice cream and cow-free butter? Pushing food too far?

Producing butter without cows, pastures, or even crops — using only carbon and hydrogen synthesized in a laboratory — sounds like science fiction.

Yet, in the era of climate urgency and resource constraints, it’s increasingly being framed as the next frontier in food innovation. A new generation of philanthropists and investors is betting on disruptive technologies to reimagine how we produce food.

One such player is Savor, a Chicago-based company backed in part by billionaire Bill Gates. The firm claims it has developed a product indistinguishable in taste and texture from traditional butter. Unlike margarine — made from plant-based oils such as soybean or canola — this “butter” is created entirely without animals or crops.

Its fat molecules are reconstructed in a lab from carbon dioxi