Biting into a guilt-free burger that has never seen a butcher’s knife may seem like science fiction. However, lab-grown meat was first produced twelve years ago, in August 2013, and massive strides have since been taken to make this meat safe to eat. It is genuine animal meat produced by cultivating animal cells in a lab environment rather than slaughtering them on a farm. There are now 175 companies on six continents helping develop cultivated meat, with over $3.1 billion invested in it. Lab-grown meat is expected to be sold in UK supermarkets within the next two years; dog food made from factory meat was already rolled out this year in February. But how is this lab meat produced, and are the methods ethical and safe?
The production of lab-grown meat has four main steps. Firstly, a sample of stem cells is taken from a live animal (samples are taken via blood collection, tissue biopsies, and fat aspiration). Then, the stem cells are cultivated in a nutrient-rich environment. Cultivation is done by placing the cells in bioreactors, creating a similar environment to the animal’s body. Once enough cells are present, the culture media is changed to allow differentiation. The cells differentiate into the three main components of natural meat: fat, muscle, and connective tissue. The cells can then be rearranged to ‘build’ the meat in a process called scaffolding. The scaffold holds the cells together and carries nutrients to allow further differentiation. So far, recreating food such as burgers has been easier than recreating meats such as steak.
The concept of lab-grown meat has proven to be controversial. Singapore, the USA, and Israel have responded positively to the idea and sell approved meats in supermarkets. However, Italy has instituted a ban against all lab-grown products, condemning them as “anti-scientific and anti-Italian.” Alabama and Florida have also banned artificial meat, expressing concern about protecting their cattle industries and arguing that they are sceptical about the safety and environmental impact of the technology involved. Reports have advertised it as a sustainable and animal-friendly option since animals don’t need to be slaughtered to produce the meat. Still, cultivated meat isn’t suitable for plant-based diets as the culture medium contains foetal bovine serum derived from the blood of foetuses. Previously, cultivated meat has been proposed as a more sustainable method of food production. However, it requires high energy input, and models have suggested that the process will generate high levels of CO2. In a survey I performed (21 participants, age range 18-60), 60% of the participants said they wanted to learn more about lab-grown meat before feeling comfortable consuming it – participants were worried about the long-term health implications of eating artificial meat and the high CO2 emissions. The process of creating lab-grown meat appears safe; the food is produced in a controlled lab environment, reducing the risk of contamination, and another participant stated that the introduction of lab-grown meat could reduce antibiotic resistance due to the reduction in the need for antibiotics in animal agriculture.
Producing lab-grown meat has been lengthy and has cost a lot of money. It’s been advertised as an eco-friendly solution to the issues associated with industrial farming. However, a deeper dive into the effects of producing artificial meat suggests this may not be true. Many believe the money invested in developing food, which could drive farmers out of business, would’ve been better spent developing technology to make our current farming systems more sustainable and efficient. The creation of artificial meat is, without doubt, a scientific feat. However, there are many ethical aspects that need to be considered, and it is important to remember that just because we can do something doesn’t mean we should.