CULTURED MEAT: Big promises and future potential
The recent history of cell-cultured meat involves advancement, excitement, and substantial financial investment. Both the products and the ideological reason behind them have generated largely positive coverage and the amount of coverage is only increasing.
NICK GREENAWAY: In December of last year, cultured meat became commercially available for the first time in the form of Eat Just’s chicken nuggets. This was an important step for an industry that hopes to shape the future of our global food systems. It has been projected that by 2040, 35% of the global meat supply will be cultured meat. Such a shift would have a drastic impact on both animals and the environment at large.
The majority of companies in the field are founded on the objectives of improving animal welfare and reducing environmental destruction, areas where the livestock industry fails by its very nature. And so, cell-cultured meat seems both within reach and welcome. However, opponents of the industry question its ethical and environmental credentials, and there are clearly many questions to be answered before we can confidently predict its impact, let alone realize it.
The recent history of cell-cultured meat involves advancement, excitement, and substantial financial investment… Both the products and the ideological reason behind them have generated largely positive coverage and the amount of coverage is only increasing. Cell cultured meat is created by taking a small sample of cells and growing them in a nutrient-rich environment…
The process is claimed to provide numerous benefits compared to traditional farming practices, including reduced animal suffering, land use, water and energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, waste production, and increasing global access to protein. At first glance, the prospects are exciting for animal advocates & environmentalists alike. However, as a sense of excitement and possibility is purposefully cultivated by many start-up companies hoping to attract investors, it’s important to critically assess the reality of these claims.
Reducing animal suffering is stated as the primary objective by many in the cultured meat field. Over 70 billion land animals are killed for food every year, after suffering extensive abuse throughout their lives. If conventional meat can be replaced by cultured meat and so decrease the number of animals involved, an overall reduction in animal suffering may be possible. But this is far from guaranteed. With global meat consumption rising yearly, it is feasible that cultured meat may have an additive effect, rather than replacing any traditional meat…
Underlying the debate around the potential benefits of cultured meat are a host of challenges that need to be met if those benefits stand a chance of becoming reality. Many of these challenges fall into the category of scalability, as companies try and produce large enough quantities to significantly impact the market and affect real change… Like the cell culture media, this technology will need to be cost-effective if an economically viable product is to be eventually produced.
Challenges such as those above are soon to be tackled at Mosa Meat’s new pilot production plant which is currently undergoing development. The plant is being built to demonstrate industrial scalability and the company hopes to produce its first products for market in 2022. It is expected to produce 200 tons of cultured meat a year as a “proof of concept”. This is a big step for the industry, but when considering that humans consume over 350 million tons of meat a year, it’s clear there will be plenty more scaling to do.
Aside from the internal scientific challenges, there are also external challenges to be addressed. Consumer acceptance will be critical to the success of cultured meat and a recent literature review summary by Faunalytics explores the current landscape. Additionally, farming industry groups are likely to be vocal opponents of the industry, which poses an existential threat to their members…
It is clear the cultured meat industry has the potential to significantly affect the future of both animal and environmental welfare. Large investments and positive media coverage have resulted in a field full of optimism and opportunity, however current accounts of its potential impact may be overly simplistic and there are plenty of challenges to be met. A critical analysis of future data will be needed to determine whether the industry is one that animal advocates can feel comfortable supporting. SOURCE…
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