In an unassuming Oxford facility, Riley Jackson is preparing a steak, its vibrant red hue and succulent juices promising a savory experience. However, this is no ordinary cut; it was cultivated in the adjacent laboratory.
Remarkably, the steak’s appearance is strikingly authentic. Upon slicing, its texture mirrors that of traditionally sourced meat.
“Our objective is to replicate a conventional steak as closely as possible,” explains Ms. Jackson, representing Ivy Farm Technologies, the food tech startup responsible for its creation.
Lab-grown meat is already available in numerous global markets, and pending regulatory clearance, could be introduced in the UK within a few years, potentially appearing in products like burgers, pies, and sausages.
Unlike vegetarian alternatives, such as pea protein-based bacon or soy-based steaks artificially colored red, lab-grown meat is biologically identical to conventional meat, derived from actual animal cells.
For some, this innovation presents a potential solution to the escalating environmental concerns linked to meat production, specifically the contribution of livestock farming to greenhouse gas emissions.
However, critics contend that the environmental benefits of cultivated meat have been overstated, arguing that prioritizing reduced meat consumption would be a more effective strategy.
Furthermore, concerns exist regarding the highly processed nature of cultivated meat and the potential for its production to be dominated by a select few multinational corporations.
With cultivated meat-based pet food already on sale in the UK and the prospect of lab-grown food for human consumption on the horizon, the debate surrounding this emerging technology has intensified.
The central question remains: Is cultivated meat the way forward?
Global demand for meat continues to rise. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, meat production has increased fivefold since the 1960s, reaching approximately 364 million tonnes in 2023.
The production of one kilogram of beef can generate greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to roughly 40 kilograms of carbon dioxide, though estimates can vary based on the production method.
A 2021 study published in Nature Food found that food production accounts for one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions. Cattle also contribute to methane emissions, and require significant water and land resources.
Tim Lang, Professor of Food Policy at City, University of London, warns that this issue presents a critical environmental threat. “The situation is absolutely dire,” he states.
“Politicians are hesitant to address the issue, unwilling to challenge the meat and farming industries or risk unpopularity by implementing policies to reduce meat consumption.”
Cultivated meat has been presented as a potential solution. Proponents claim it can meet growing meat demand with reduced carbon emissions and land use, helping governments achieve sustainability targets.
In the UK, an independent review for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) recommended a 30% reduction in meat consumption by 2032 to meet the country’s net-zero goals.
The science behind cultivated meat is relatively straightforward. Researchers extract cells from livestock and cultivate them in a controlled environment. These cells are then transferred to increasingly larger vats until sufficient quantities are available for meat product creation.
Transforming this process into a palatable product is more complex. Each company employs proprietary techniques, generally involving a nutrient-rich cocktail that encourages cell growth, with additional ingredients sometimes added to enhance nutritional value.
The resulting paste is processed and mixed with other ingredients, such as soy, to enhance its resemblance to traditional meat. There are also plans to develop cultivated fish products, including eel and caviar.
Ivy Farm Technologies is currently the sole UK company seeking regulatory approval. If granted, their initial offerings will focus on burgers and sausages rather than steaks.
The company plans to combine cultivated and traditionally farmed mince to create a blended beef burger.
“To make a significant impact on sustainability, mass production is essential, and burgers are the most accessible option,” says Dr. Harsh Amin, CEO of Ivy Farm. “Blending cultivated meat with animal-derived meat still reduces the carbon footprint.”
Ivy Farm asserts that this approach can lead to substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental benefits. While other companies make similar claims, Dr. John Lynch of Oxford University, who conducted an independent assessment of the climate impact of lab-grown meat, argues that these claims are often based on optimism rather than concrete evidence.
“Accurate climate assessment studies are lacking due to the absence of large-scale production,” he notes.
The limited data and numerous variables involved make it challenging to accurately compare the climate impact of cultivated meat with traditional agricultural production.
Cultivating cells in vats and producing the necessary chemicals requires energy. Companies maintain secrecy regarding their processes, making it difficult to establish a definitive climate cost for cultivated meat.
Dr. Lynch analyzed available data from scientific papers and found that, in the best-case scenario, cultivated meat could have a carbon footprint as low as 1.65 kg of CO2 per kg, outperforming traditional beef production.
However, some estimates suggest that energy-intensive lab-grown meat production could result in emissions as high as 22 kg of CO2 per kg, diminishing its climate advantage.
Furthermore, methane emissions from cattle dissipate within approximately 12 years, while CO2 emissions from lab-grown meat production persist for a much longer duration.
According to Dr. Lynch’s assessment, replacing cattle with high-energy lab-grown production could be detrimental in the long run. However, this could be offset by the significantly reduced land requirements of cultivated meat production.
Ultimately, the environmental advantages of cultivated beef over cattle farming are less definitive than proponents suggest, but as production methods scale up and become more efficient, cultivated meat is likely to gain an edge, according to Dr. Lynch.
“Cultured meat has the potential to outperform beef,” he argues. “However, the same may not be true for chicken and pork, which are more efficient at converting feed into meat.”
Singapore became the first country to approve the sale of cell-cultivated meat for human consumption in 2020, followed by the United States in 2023 and Israel in 2024.
UK firms have voiced concerns that regulatory approval processes are hindering their ability to compete with overseas rivals. However, sales in approved countries have been inconsistent, with many companies primarily offering tastings or serving cultivated meat in upscale restaurants for limited periods.
This is largely due to manufacturers’ inability to mass-produce their products in sufficient quantities or at prices competitive with traditional meat.
In the US, several companies have obtained some form of regulatory approval for their lab-grown chicken, pork fat, and salmon. Wildtype’s cultivated salmon, for instance, is now featured at Kann, a fine-dining restaurant in Oregon, while Good Meat’s chicken has been introduced at a restaurant in Washington, DC.
Suzi Gerber, Executive Director of the US Association for Meat, Poultry and Seafood Innovation, reports that consumer response has been “optimistic and curious.”
However, some segments of the US cattle industry have expressed opposition to the technology and lobbied for its prohibition, while other livestock firms have remained neutral or supportive.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and various state-level organizations publicly oppose bans, potentially to avoid setting a precedent for prohibiting other scientific advancements, such as bio-engineered feed for cattle.
The cultivated meat industry asserts that their products will not adversely impact the livestock industry, as consumers will always favor traditional meat. Instead, the industry aims to address the demand that livestock production is unable to fulfill.
The seafood industry has also demonstrated openness, with the US National Fisheries Institute recognizing cultivated seafood as a component of broader domestic on-land fish production, such as aquaculture.
Ellen Dinsmoor is the Chief Operating Officer of Vow, a Sydney-based company that sells cultivated Japanese quail products in Singapore. The firm recently gained approval to sell its products in Australia as well.
Unlike some cultivated meat firms, Vow is not attempting to replicate conventional meats. Instead, the company selected quail because its taste profile is less familiar to consumers.
“Our priority is to produce a truly delicious product that people enjoy,” she explains. “In the future, we can emphasize nutrition, for example, by incorporating healthy omega-3 oils found in salmon into chicken. And if we can achieve all of this at a fraction of the cost, it will become highly appealing to consumers.”
This strategy is designed to establish a stable high-end market, which could eventually facilitate investments in producing more affordable food in larger quantities.
However, some critics argue that the potential benefits of this technology for the environment and for the world’s poorest communities are being overlooked.
Dr. Chris van Tulleken, author of “Ultra-Processed People,” contends that some startups are primarily driven by delivering rapid returns to investors, which is more easily achieved by producing high-priced products for affluent countries.
He suggests that a simpler, cheaper, and more effective approach would be to encourage reduced meat consumption in both developed and developing countries.
“It is all well and good to propose that people consume a high-protein slurry to maintain their health,” he argues, “but I do not believe that it is something that should be imposed on already marginalized populations.”
He also expresses concern that the emergence of cultivated food is accelerating the shift away from environmentally sustainable, locally sourced, whole foods and toward mass-produced, factory-made fare. “And currently, the process is quite energy-intensive.”
Whether we embrace it or not, lab-grown meat is here. Some view it as a healthier option with lower cholesterol, no animal suffering, and a potential solution to pressing environmental challenges. Others believe that these benefits have been exaggerated.
Despite the promises and potential to improve the world, most people select food based on more personal factors, namely taste and affordability. These factors, above all else, will likely determine the future of cultivated meat.
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