Scientists are currently cultivating proteins from the stem cells of livestock and poultry in labs in a bid to create more sustainable meat, but will anyone want to eat it?
Lab-grown meat, although a promising concept, has been slow to hit the mainstream. The notion is to grow meat, within laboratory conditions, by extracting stem cells from live animals and installing them into a bioreactor (vessel-like device), where salts, vitamins, sugars, and proteins are added. The oxygen-rich temperature-controlled environment allows the stem cells to multiply dramatically; eventually differentiating into muscle fibres that cluster together, aided by scaffolding material.
Numerous start-ups and companies have invested millions into this innovative technology. Eat Just, valued at $1.2 billion, was founded by Josh Tetrick in 2011, and the company began the development of lab-grown chicken in 2016. “With the aid of a 1,200-liter bioreactor, the cells can develop into meat at a rapid rate with the whole process taking around 14 days. For comparison, the production of farm-based chicken is a 45-day process”, states the CEO of Eat Just. Evidently, lab-grown meat rivals the production of farm-based alternatives; by providing a more efficient development procedure.
Currently, the meat industry slaughters tens of billions of animals every year, and meat consumption is expected to increase by more than 70% by the year 2050; according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. At the current state, lab-grown meat products will struggle to satisfy these demands. To put this into perspective, to produce enough meat to feed everyone in Singapore, Eat Just would need to use 10,000-litre bioreactors, over more this process is currently more expensive than traditional farming methods. However, with increased funding, it might soon become a reality.
Despite these challenges, the advancement of lab-grown meat products will continue, promising a wealth of benefits. Lab-grown meat is drug-free, cruelty-free, more environmentally friendly, and sustainable. One report estimates that lab-produced meats could lower greenhouse emissions by 78–96%, 99% less land use, and 82–96% less water consumption. It is, without a doubt, more sustainable than traditional meat farming.
In spite of all adversities, at the end of last year, restaurant 1880 in Singapore became the first in the world to serve lab-grown meat, after approval from the country’s food agency on the sale of cultured meat. This poses as a huge stepping stone for the future of lab-grown meat. One estimate by US consultancy firm Kearney suggests that 35 per cent of all meat consumed globally will be cell-based by 2040.
In an earlier interview, Josh Tetrick (founder of EatJust) expresses, “Working in partnership with the broader agriculture sector and forward-thinking policymakers, companies like ours can help meet the increased demand for animal protein as our population climbs to 9.7 billion by 2050.”
It is beyond dispute that the status quo is not sustainable. So, do we have the appetite for change?
