Lab Grown Meat: The Future Sustainable Alternative
to Meat or a Novel Functional Food?
Introduction
The rising world population is expected to reach 9.5 billion by
2050. This population growth coupled with factors such as social,
economic and demographic changes (urbanization, rising incomes
in emerging economies, etc.) and the resulting changes of consumer
patterns will exert increased pressure on global resources for the
production and availability of more food but also different food
items associated with different diets [1,2]. According to an analysis
conducted by Henchion et al. [3], an increase of meat consumption
by about 60% has been estimated between 1990 and 2009 and
this trend is expected to continue due to increased income in
Asian, Latin American and Middle Eastern countries. Increased
demand for proteins, mainly of animal origin, is expected to have
a negative impact on the environment causing greenhouse gas
emissions (GHG), requiring even more water consumption and land
exploitation for their production [4]. In order to address this critical
problem, an even more sustainable production is required, with the
use of existing protein sources as well as additional alternatives for
direct human consumption minimizing as the possible intervention
of animals.
In order to support sustainable production and disposal of
proteins, there are several possible scenarios regarding both the
exploitation of existing sources of protein but also the discovery
and development of new ones, always taking into account the
nutritional, environmental and technological challenges as well as
the consumer’s and market response. Lab grown meat although still
at an early stage, seems to be a promising alternative technology
for the production of proteins of animal origin and the availability
of products traditionally produced through animals in a way that
requires significantly reduced animal participation or not even at
all. This technological innovation has also an ambitious objective
to offer the possibility of reducing the negative impact of today’s
meat production and consumption on humans, animals and the
environment. Consumers need also to respond to various questions
about the cost of production, the possibility of mass production, food
safety and the potential ethical dilemmas posed by different
population groups.
A 43 year old male presented with NSTEMI, which was treated
conservatively, with an uneventful recovery. He was of normal
height and weight and was of South Indian origin. Risk factor for
CAD was smoking for 5 years only. There was no history of previous
chest pain, unusual childhood illness or any inflammatory disease.
Echocardiography showed an ejection fraction of 55%. Coronary
angiography showed dissection in all the three vessels, with the
LAD occluded following the dissection (Figure 1). Autoantibody
screening, inflammatory screening and CT scan of chest and
abdomen was normal. He underwent CABG with uneventful
recovery.
The rapid growth rates of the stem cells achieved in this way
involve a shorter period of tissue growth compared to that required
for animal husbandry and consequently the required nutrient and
energy inputs are reduced. The cultivation of cells and tissues in
the laboratory is not currently effective in energy, water and raw
materials’ demand, and so far has been used only in scientific and
medical applications [8]. Economic benefits as well as sustainability
benefits are also unclear because reductions in some inputs may
be offset by the extra cost due to a stricter sanitation regime and
other energy inputs required [7]. The cell culture medium can be
produced either from animal materials, such as bovine and horse
serum, which reduce many viability benefits of the cultured meat
[7], or from a suitable culture medium produced from non-animal
origin, such as hydrolyzed cyanobacteria referred as blue-green
algae [9] and Maitake mushroom extract [7]. No significant progress
has yet been made for large-scale production and decisive factors
and parameters of this process still need to be researched in depth.
Among these, the production of cultured meat requires appropriate
cells and growth media, preferably of non-animal origin, in order
to avoid animal components containing agents for communicable
diseases, and edible materials suitable for cell growth matrices to
produce thicker and more continuous meat pieces such as steaks.
A such efficient process for the production of non-animal culture
media is still considered as a great challenge and a very important
step towards the acceptance of the cultured meat [10].
Lab grown meat could be an excellent functional food since can
be modified to alter the profile of essential amino acids and fats,
to be enriched in vitamins, minerals and bioactive compounds
so that not only is it in proportionate amounts of natural meat
but also exceeds it to cover specific dietary needs for people
with various ailments [11]. Additionally, after the appearance of
functional and fortified foods, consumers are more willing to test
products that have been modified to have particular functional
and nutritional characteristics [12,13]. Strictly controlled hygiene
conditions in sterile systems applied to the production of lab
grown meat contribute significantly to improving its safety by
minimizing the risk of zoonotic and food-borne pathogens, viruses
such as avian influenza and swine flu or prions for transmissible
spongiform encephalopathies [14]. Scientists also hope that the
need for pesticides, fungicides, growth factors and antimicrobials
which are used in excess for conventional meat production, may
be significantly reduced as the consumption of culture meat
increases [15-17]. In the future, the ever-growing production
and cost reduction of lab grown meat, possibly below traditional
animal husbandry, would make its consumption more affordable
and could increase access to meat even in developing countries. In
this case, the cultured meat could help alleviate certain nutritional
deficiencies in these populations and support the physical and
mental development of children [17].
The potential benefits of developing and expanding the
production and consumption of lab cultured meat are referred
to in some Life Cycle Assessments although they are based on
hypothetical models of the form that cultured meat can take.
Replacing conventionally produced meat with cultured meat
could potentially help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, because
instead of using larger land for the necessary agricultural crops
required for livestock farming, large areas could be released and
redeveloped or used for other purposes such as carbon capture.
Tuomisto and de Mattos [9] reported that if the cultured meat is
grown in algae culture medium, although energy consumption
will not decrease dramatically, GHG emissions will fall by 78-
96%, land use by 99%, water consumption by 82-96% and energy
consumption by 7-45% compared to those from the conventional
farming depending upon the type of meat, except conventional
poultry meat that requires less energy. In a similar research [18] it
was reported that the cultured beef has a lower heating potential
than the conventional, on the contrary cultured pork and poultry
meat may involve significant energy use leading to higher heating
potential than the conventional products.
Using a different comparison field, in another survey [19]
cultivated meat was compared with a range of meat protein
alternatives (plant, mycoprotein, dairy and chicken). The researchers
found that the lab grown meat can have less environmental impact
than conventional beef and possibly pork, but higher than for
chicken and plant protein production, mainly due to high energy
requirements, with only exceptions the effects of land use and
ecotoxicity of terrestrial soils and freshwater. However, in all the
aforementioned cases, there are significant environmental benefits
in all types of cultured meat in terms of land use. Production of lab
grown meat could also have potential benefits for the conservation
of wildlife by reducing pressure to convert natural habitats to
farmland and also providing an alternative way of producing meat
from endangered and rare species that are currently at high risks by
over hunting or fishing for food.
However, according to Tuomisto and de Mattos [9] the largescale replacement of conventional meat production may have some
negative effects on rural biodiversity due to a reduction in the
need for meadows and pastures. The possible conversion of the
meadows into forests may benefit certain species, but others may be
threatened. Potential additional benefits are the reduction of large
direct and indirect emissions from agriculture (e.g. digestion gasses
from livestock, production of fertilizers and other agrochemicals,
use of fossil fuels by tractors, etc) [20]. According to FAO [21], the
livestock sector is a significant contributor to GHG emissions with
an estimated total of 8.1 gigatonnes CO2
-eq in 2010 (using 298 and
34 as global warming potential for N2O and CH4 respectively). The
production of lab grown meat also results in significantly lower
losses of nutrients in waste compared to conventionally produced
meat because the effluents from the production of cyanobacteria
can be controlled more effectively in relation to the runoff from the
agricultural fields [9].
The effects of transporting the lab grown meat are likely to be
lower because animals will not be transported to the slaughterhouses
(from long or even short distances) as well as carcasses or large
cuts of meat from slaughterhouses will not be transported to the
market or to installations for further processing under cooling, and
with an appropriate design, its production sites may be closer to the
markets and the points of consumption. As a result, there would be
a significant reduction in energy consumption for chilled transport,
as the cultivated meat has a lower mass because there are no nonedible
parts (bones, blood, etc.). In addition, slaughterhouse waste
and the environmental and economic consequences associated
with it are significantly reduced [9]. However, further research is
required to assess the overall environmental impact of cultured
meat production during the life cycle from production to the final
consumer
Consumers’ perceptions and ethical dilemmas are crucial and
also a potential barrier to the acceptance of the lab grown meat
and its commercial success [22]. The product should have as
much as possible similar sensory and organoleptic characteristics
(taste, texture and appearance) with the natural meat, which is
widely accepted by consumers; however, this is currently difficult
to achieve [8]. The extent to which muscle biology can be copied
will determine the complexity of the tissue production process.
The production of a whole muscle piece is the long-term goal. This
requires a complex system that involves multiple types of cells
grown together in an organized manner, and a structure that will
require a reproducible blood vessel network. A simpler and most
feasible goal in the near future is the production of a muscle protein
component based on muscle cells alone. Among the serious benefits
of lab grown meat, the resulting reduction in the population of
meat-producing animals is reported in the international literature
[5]. Although it is an exaggeration to see that an animal is sufficient
to meet world meat needs, it is feasible and understandable that
the reduced populations of animals required for conventional
meat production would make it possible to obsolete intensive and
industrialized livestock farming and would contribute to improving
livestock conditions that will still be needed [6].
Another important moral issue is the treatment of stem cell
donors as these cells have to be collected from an animal source
(live or not). In that case, the necessary invasive technique to obtain
the right type of muscle tissue may be painful. Also, the necessary
serum for the growth of cell cultures should also be taken from adult
animals, newborns or fetal sources raising also ethical concerns.
In the future, this substrate of animal origin could be replaced by
sources of plant origin such as mushroom extract which achieves
higher growth rates compared to fetal bovine serum and is more
cost-effective [23]. Vegetarians and other people such as members
of certain religious groups, opposing the use of animals, and
consider the consumption of meat or other foods of animal origin
is not necessary for human health and thus these issues could
eventually be an obstacle. Acceptance criteria are mainly ethical in
terms of technology and its application, as well as its relationship
to the natural product, the expected qualitative characteristics and
the potential benefits or risks. Consumer knowledge of the lab
grown meat is currently very poor. Although surveys conducted so
far show that most consumers are reluctant to answer when asked
if they are willing to test cultured meat in the future, only a small
minority categorically rejects the idea [24].
The willingness of consumers to consume lab grown meat is
also related to a great degree to the viability benefits in relation
to conventionally produced meat and the information provided
about these benefits seems to be critically important to increase
consumer’s confidence and acceptance. Another key challenge for
the socioeconomic status of this novel technology, as it happens
with all innovative technologies entering the market, is the
disruption of the livestock industry, where millions of people are
directly or indirectly involved [25]. What will be the reactions of
the stakeholders of this huge and very important economic field of
global economy? To which extend it will replace the conventional
meat production or instead it will increase the meat consumption
globally? Who will produce the cultured meat and profit from
it? Will it provide a new frontier for capital accumulation for
multinational corporations or a shift towards localized production?
All these difficult questions remain unanswered and will soon need
to be addressed by governments and society.
Some start-ups companies in the US and other countries
claim that the lab grown meat (or clean meat or artificial meat or
laboratory meat) may be placed on retail shelves perhaps before
2021. However, before this happens, a legislative regulatory
framework for this innovative food should be introduced. This
legislative framework should specify, among other things, which
controls are to be carried out and which bodies are responsible to
carry them out at the production and disposal level. In the EU, lab
grown meat should be adopted as a novel food and comes under
the Regulation EU 2015/2283 [26] regime for novel foods. In order
to be approved as a novel food, growers are required to submit an
application which must include a complete dossier with all relevant
data (production process, product safety issues, ethics, labeling,
etc.). If the product is considered safe after a scientific assessment
by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the Commission
may adopt a regulation approving this product.
The Commission has recently confirmed that no application for
the approval of lab grown meat has been submitted so far and that
such a product cannot yet be placed on the market and any such
meat will be seized by the authorities. The Novel Food Regulation
stipulates that approved novel foods on the list may be subject to
labeling requirements in order to fully inform the consumer, for
example, of the description of the food or its composition. It is
therefore very likely to add specifications for the lab grown meat.
In any case, the EU regulation Regulation (EU) 2011/1169 [27] on
consumer information on food will also apply to lab grown meat as
soon as it is approved, but its implementation may prove difficult.
For example, there is an obligation to indicate on the label the name
of the food, but at present there are unresolved issues regarding the
name of the lab grown meat. Lab grown meat or cultured meat has
not yet been released in the market and there is neither a registered
name nor even a common name. Many names already exist, but the
choice of the final name is a very sensitive affair and not at all easy.
A serious problem for its final name is the fact that consumers
must be provided with clear and precise information about their
method of manufacture or production, so producers should
ensure that the name of the product makes it clear that the meat
has been grown in laboratory. In accordance with the current
regulations [28,29], meat means “all parts of domestic bovine
animals, swine, sheep, goats and solipeds which are suitable for
human consumption”. Therefore, the process towards a regulatory
framework will actually start in the EU as and when an application
for approval to EFSA. In the United States the there is no any
regulation yet, although most cultured meat companies are based
there. The definition of “meat product” for lab grown meat does not
comply also in the US under the Federal Meat Inspection Act [30], in
which meat and meat products should come from carcass.
Lab grown meat appears to be a particularly interesting
alternative to conventional meat from animal carcasses, the
problems caused by its production methods and its shortcomings
in meeting future emerging global demands for protein availability.
In addition, the possibilities offered by the flexible production
process and the modification of its composition, make it a
promising functional food with the capability to meet the specific
needs of many different consumer groups. However, so far it
is still at an embryonic stage without large-scale production
technology being developed. Important questions, especially moral
ones are also unanswered yet. Information and involvement of
social stakeholders and consumers in any decisions to be taken
is necessary in order to build acceptance through a transparent
process. The big challenge of a sustainable future food supply can
only be achieved by pursuing a number of viable solutions that will
only become effective when combined. Such solutions include the
prudent meat consumption, the abolition of “industrial” livestock
farming and the promotion of organic farming as well as support
for the development and exploitation of plant or other protein
sources. Cultured meat is among the many possible factors that can
contribute to solve the problem.
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