As the world seeks eco-friendly and ethically sound nutrition alternatives, synthetic meat takes centre stage, but like all innovations, it comes with its own set of promises and challenges
Technologies and methods of producing synthetic meat or cultured meat belong to the field known as cellular agriculture. The method involves “culturing adult muscle stem cells in a collagen matrix obtained from either live or dead animals and providing the necessary sources of energy required for their proliferation and differentiation into skeletal muscle tissue strips.” Lab-grown meat, distinct from vegan alternatives like those from Impossible Foods, mirrors natural meat at a cellular level since it is derived from actual animal tissue. The recent United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) approval for two Californian companies, Upside Foods and Eat Just, to sell their cultured chicken has spotlighted this innovation. With this move, the US follows Singapore in greenlighting lab-grown meat sales. Amidst pressing global concerns like climate change and resource scarcity, it is imperative to explore the role of synthetic meat in shaping our food's future.
[pullquote]Lab-grown meat, distinct from vegan alternatives like those from Impossible Foods, mirrors natural meat at a cellular level since it is derived from actual animal tissue.[/pullquote]
The prospect of growing meat products in labs comes at a prescient time for combating environmental and climate-related issues, mainly because animal meat consumption is projected to rise more than 70 percent by 2050 compared to 2010. In 2014, the world’s first synthetic meat burger was revealed as a prospective solution to these issues. In March 2023, less than a decade later, a meatball made from the DNA of the extinct woolly mammoth was revealed. It was created by splicing the mammoth myoglobin with the genetic data from African elephants. Cellular agriculture and lab-grown meat have the potential to make a crucial impact on food security and climate change as the global impact of animal products is disproportionally large compared to non-animal products. For example, 16.5 percent to 19.4 percent of greenhouse emissions, 83 percent of agricultural land use, and over a third of human-induced nitrogen emissions happen due to animal rearing and livestock maintenance.
[pullquote]Cellular agriculture and lab-grown meat have the potential to make a crucial impact on food security and climate change as the global impact of animal products is disproportionally large compared to non-animal products.[/pullquote]
Hanna Tuomisto, an associate professor at the University of Helsinki, has suggested that lab-grown meat can have crucial climate benefits. The study reports that growing meat in an algae culture medium can significantly decrease greenhouse gas emissions by 78-96 percent and limit land use, water consumption, and energy consumption compared to traditional meat production processes. Lab-grown meat has the potential to not only tackle climate- and environment-related problems but also public health. Medical scholar Daniel Sergelidis notes that lab-grown meat can be modified with additional bioactive compounds to cover the specific nutritional needs of target demographics. Hygiene and cleanliness standards of the facilities used to grow meat can minimise the risks of zoonotic and foodborne pathogens. Moreover, the process of growing meat in labs can cut out the need for insecticides, pesticides, artificial growth factors, and antimicrobials traditionally found in the meat production process.
While the promise of synthetic meat may seem utopian on paper, the prospect of its implementation raises some questions. Firstly, is it still too early to draw conclusions about its future impact on the environment? Secondly, if the technology is successfully implemented, how will it impact wildlife and biodiversity? To answer the first question, Edward Spang, an associate professor of food science and technology at the University of California, and associates have argued that previous studies glorifying the potential of lab-grown meat “do not accurately reflect the current/near term practices which will be utilised to produce these products.” They concluded that the environmental impact of synthetic meat manufacturing will, in fact, be much higher than conventional meat production systems.
Studies regarding the environmental impact of synthetic meat so far, such as the ones mentioned above, have primarily focused on its impact on the climate and natural resource consumption. However, there is a paucity of research by journalists and industry experts on the impact of lab-grown meat on wildlife and protected animal species. The same technology that can bring lab-grown chicken to dinner plates at restaurants and homes can be used to grow exotic meat of hitherto commercially unavailable meats such as from tigers, lions, leopards, elephants, and so forth. Companies promoting and investing in lab-grown meat know of this commercial opportunity. As a case in point, a United Kingdom-based cultured meat company, Primeval Foods, purports to be on a mission to expand “gastronomic possibilities” by developing exotic foods that include, but are not limited to, “robust, hearty flavours of lion burger to the tender, delicate texture of zebra sushi.” The overall objective of the company is to use cellular agricultural technologies to offer the global public exotic meats without harming any of the animals or their natural habitats.
[pullquote]There is a paucity of research by journalists and industry experts on the impact of lab-grown meat on wildlife and protected animal species.[/pullquote]
While the development and consumption of lab-grown alternatives to conventional livestock might be hailed as an innovation in sustainable food production, the proposition of commercialising cultured versions of wild species warrants scrutiny. Such endeavours could inadvertently reinforce and invigorate illicit markets, and unchecked marketing of lab-grown exotic meat products could be particularly consequential for highly biodiverse countries like India. Having 8 percent of the world's wildlife, India is among the top 20 countries for illicit animal imports and exports, with the largest consumer markets being China and Southeast Asia, along with the Gulf, Europe, and North America. Illegal trade is amplified by demands of the exotic pet market and a belief rooted in certain traditional practices like the therapeutic efficacy of certain wild animal derivatives including rhinoceros horns, leopard skins, and tiger parts, among others. In 2019, hundreds of traffickers were reported to have been arrested in several Indian states for capturing and trading tokay geckos. The trade was fuelled by the fantastical claim that tokay gecko derivatives can be used to cure AIDS. The unfounded belief in medicinal properties of certain animals might render the cultured alternative counterproductive, amplifying the demand and pressure on wild populations. Pursuing a market for lab-grown tiger meat, or that of similar species, jeopardises the progress painstakingly achieved by regulators in trafficking hotspots like India. It is imperative to approach this frontier cautiously, balancing innovation with ecological prudence.
[pullquote]Illegal trade is amplified by demands of the exotic pet market and a belief rooted in certain traditional practices like the therapeutic efficacy of certain wild animal derivatives including rhinoceros horns, leopard skins, and tiger parts, among others.[/pullquote]
The recent approval by the USDA for the production and distribution of lab-grown chicken in the country will likely generate further investment globally, not only for the lab-grown meat of domesticates but also for wild animals. Consequently, if lab-grown exotic meats become commercially available soon, the risk of creating a consumerist appetite for exotic meat may also increase. This can be especially dangerous unless anticipatory ethical and policy frameworks for producing lab-grown meat are implemented. Therefore, while companies like Just Foods, Upside Foods, Primeval Foods present a utopian future of perfectly nutritional, cruelty-free, slaughter-free meats that will help combat climate change, their culinary promises must be taken with a pinch of salt. Going forward, a cautionary approach by stakeholders and policymakers seems necessary in the absence of scientific studies and models that can accurately predict the environmental impact of lab-grown meat and assess the risk towards protected wild animal species. Policymakers must mandate comprehensive, unbiased, and iterative ecological impact assessments for all synthetic meat production facilities. This will ensure that as technologies evolve and scale up, their real-world implications are continually evaluated, ensuring these innovations genuinely contribute to sustainability goals.
[pullquote]While companies like Just Foods, Upside Foods, Primeval Foods present a utopian future of perfectly nutritional, cruelty-free, slaughter-free meats that will help combat climate change, their culinary promises must be taken with a pinch of salt.[/pullquote]
With the emergence of companies aiming to produce lab-grown versions of exotic meats, there's a significant risk for countries with mega-diverse ecologies like India of reinforcing illicit markets and amplifying demand for wild-caught specimens. Since India is a member of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES), transnational regulations that target irresponsible marketing of lab-grown exotic meat products should be proposed. Policymakers should establish strict guidelines and regulations for marketing to ensure that such endeavours do not inadvertently harm wild populations or encourage illegal trade. Complimentarily, clear labelling indicating the lab-grown nature of such products and public awareness campaigns about the ethical considerations behind consuming exotic meats, whether lab-grown or wild-caught, should be implemented.
Siddharth Yadav is a PhD scholar at Birkbeck College, University of London with a background in history, literature and cultural studies.
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Siddharth Yadav is a PhD scholar with a background in history, literature and cultural studies. He acquired BA (Hons) and MA in History from the ...
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