Lab-grown meat, also known as cultured or cell-based meat, is an exciting development in food technology that holds the promise of solving some ethical and environmental issues associated with conventional animal farming. This type of meat is made by taking stem cells from a living animal and allowing them to multiply and grow in a nutrient-rich mixture. These cells form small strands of tissue, which are placed on a support scaffold to grow into larger pieces of meat. Once the meat reaches the desired size and texture, it is harvested and processed into consumable products like burgers, meatballs or nuggets.
Several companies worldwide, including Upside Foods, Mosa Meat, Eat Just, and Vow Foods, are actively growing meat in the lab. Upside Foods, formerly Memphis Meats, has already produced a range of lab-grown meat products. Their line includes meatballs, chicken, and duck. Mosa Meat, renowned for creating the world’s first lab-grown burger, is working on reducing the cost of cultured meat production. Similarly, Vow Foods is exploring unorthodox culinary possibilities by growing meat from cells of unusual animals like alpacas and Japanese quail.
The question of whether lab-grown meat is suitable for vegans and vegetarians is debatable, as the process requires initial samples of animal cells, though no animals are slaughtered. It’s up to individual consumers to align it with their dietary principles. Lab-grown meat production has the potential to be more environmentally friendly, significantly reducing land use, water use, and greenhouse emissions compared to traditional livestock farming.
In Australia, lab-grown quail meat by Vow has been safety-approved by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). The availability of lab-grown meat in general will depend on factors like regulatory approval, production scalability, and consumer acceptance. Despite the initial high cost, continuous innovations and improvements in production methods are expected to lower prices. It’s even predicted that cultured meat could eventually be cheaper than conventional meat.
The future of lab-grown meat indeed looks promising; the potential benefits relating to animal welfare, environmental sustainability, and food security are compelling. Nevertheless, challenges persist, like scaling up production, securing swift regulatory approval, and gaining broader consumer acceptance. Long-term impacts on public health, the environment, and society need careful assessment. Despite some hesitations, there is excitement about the changes this new food technology can bring, like barbequing lab-grown steaks or dining on cell-based chicken at local eateries within the next decade.
