HOLLYWOOD a-lister Alexander Skarsgard stars in shocking new film that says we should cultivate HUMAN FLESH to save the planet

The film follows Erik Karlsson, a Swedish entrepreneur and scientist, who believes the best protein for humans would be made with flesh grown from cells of the blue-eyed Stockholm-born heart throb Alexander Skarsgard. In his clumsy but determined attempts to launch ‘Swedes’ as the new meat, we see shock, confusion and revulsion from focus groups and investors alike when they TRY what they believe to be human lab-grown meat.

The climax of the film sees Karlsson ring Skarsgard to suggest cultivating his flesh for consumers to enjoy. After admitting that he is “prime meat” and initially suggesting $100 million for some of his “fresh cells”, Skarsgard shrugs it off as a joke but agrees to call back for more information. The final moments of the documentary style film direct the viewer to the site eataswede.com.

‘Eat a Swede’ was created by The Swedish Food Federation to highlight an urgent global challenge: how do we produce food for an additional 2000 million people without wrecking the planet? And while we’re not ready to eat ‘human’ lab-grown meat just yet, the Federation, which represents 800 food and drink companies in Sweden, say there are other, more conventional ways that we can make enough high-quality food for everyone in a sustainable fashion.

The Federation Chairman Lars Appelqvist says that whilst the Swedish food industry does not have all the answers, they believe they have some of them: “Our companies are at the forefront of sustainable production, and many of our practices can be copied by producers around the world. But we also want to be inspired by other countries and industries and get new ideas on how we can become even more sustainable at home. With 'Eat a Swede', we want to raise this issue with politicians, business and the public so that we can make the transition to sustainable production a reality before it’s too late.”

At eataswede.com, The Federation gives concrete examples of how well-known Swedish food companies such as Arla and The Absolut Company are well on their way to making the shift to sustainable production. The site also lists facts about Swedish food production, including that they have the lowest use of antibiotics in the EU, that the energy they use is 99 percent fossil free and that they have reduced industrial food waste down to only 3 percent.

Lars Appelqvist is realistic but optimistic about the future: “There is no magic bullet, quick fix solution that will make global food production sustainable overnight. For the Swedish food industry, it’s taken years and years of countless, incremental changes that in the end have resulted in large improvements. But now we don’t have that kind of time anymore. We hope that by sharing our methods and techniques that we can help other countries speed up their transition to sustainable production. In short, don’t eat a Swede, just produce like one.”

The viral film, ‘Eat a Swede’, is available to watch here.

Contact information

Daniel Emilson, Head of Press, The Swedish Food Federation, +46762758360, Daniel.emilson@li.se

About The Swedish Food Federation

The Swedish Food Federation is an employers’ and industry organization for companies that produce food and drink in Sweden. Our 800 member companies employ 55,000 people and together constitute Sweden's third largest industry.