Lab-Grown Meat! Navigating A Sustainable Future With Lab-Grown Meat

Do you know the global average meat consumption per capita has increased to around 20 kg since 1961? In fact, in the US, the consumption of red meat has even doubled in the last century. Therefore, experts have found a sustainable way to increase the production of meat to meet the rising demand for meat without the environmental burden. The lab-grown meat can be a groundbreaking solution to offer an alternative meat production process.

What is Lab-grown meat?

The lab-grown meat tastes like conventional meat like beef, chicken and more without any cows or chicken. It is made in the lab without harming the animals. It includes a scientific process to produce the meat.

The lab-grown meat is also called cultured meat. To make cultured meat, scientists use extracts of stem cells like muscle and organs from an animal. The stem cells or building block cells, are then bathed in nutrition-rich liquid including amino acids and carbohydrates. Once enough cells are generated scientists place them into a bioreactor that aids the growth of organisms in a controlled condition.

After the development of unstructured meat, scientists take the next step. In this step, they tried to transform the meat into a realistic form that can resemble the traditional meat in both texture and taste. Because of the nutrition-rich liquid, the cells started to multiply and develop in a structured muscle fibre, the primary element of meat.

 This whole process of cultured meat takes around two to eight weeks depending on the meat types. Several companies are using these meats in familiar food items like nuggets, burgers and sausages. However, because of having animal cells in the cultured meat, it is not considered vegan.

Sustainability consideration of lab-grown meat

The concept of lab-grown meat is too new to say that they are eco-friendly. However, while comparing it with conventional meat, it is seen that the meat requires 45% less energy and 99% less land use than conventional meat production.

Raise livestock, especially beef requires a huge land and a lot of energy. Conversely, cultured meat production does not require large tracts of land or growing food crops for meat production. The cultured meat can be produced in bioreactors with minimal space and energy.

Moreover, during digestion, cows produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas. On average one kilogram of beef can produce 100 kilograms of carbon dioxide, which can cause global warming. Whereas, 96% less greenhouse emissions have been seen in cultured meat production. Henceforth, it has a higher potential to be sustainable than traditional meat production with a similar nutrition value.

The lab-grown meat and conventional meat have similar nutritional value. However, cultured meat has some additional advantages of controlling the nutrition profile. During the processing period, scientists can add specific nutritional values like vitamins, minerals and the like. The ability of customization can lead to better health benefits of this meat rather than traditional meat.

Benefits of lab-grown meat

The Lab-grown meat tastes like real meat because it is the same meat produced differently. Besides being a healthier option, it has several benefits including zero animal cruelty, less saturated fats, environmental sustainability, less bacterial contamination, cheaper, less antibiotic and more.

Zero animal cruelty

In the meat and dairy industry, more than 29 million cows suffer from cruelty. 360 million tonnes of meat is consumed globally and for that around 1.4 million goats, 3.8 million pigs, 12 million ducks, 202 million chickens and hundreds of million fishes have been slaughtered every day.

However, in cultured meat, the suffering of animals can be significantly reduced. The scientist extracts the stem cells from the animal just a single time which can ensure zero animal cruelty in the future. By developing meat directly from the cells, it will eliminate the need for excessive farming practices. It can also meet the growing demand for meats by supplying thousands of customers each day.

Less saturated fats

Cultured meat is produced in a completely controlled environment means the scientists have the chance to maintain the nutritional value of the meat. Henceforth, it has the biggest advantage of better healthier options than traditional meat as the scientists have the opportunity to reduce the saturated fat in the meat. They can add omega-3 fatty acids and the like that can be beneficial for heart health.

Conversely, traditional meat, especially from the livestock of pigs, cows, chicken and others oftentimes contained high levels of saturated fat. Especially the red meats have higher saturated fat than skinless chickens and fish.

Environmental sustainability

The lab-grown meat production is required minimal place and energy for the whole production. This can lead to the minimisation of deforestation, reduced water consumption and more. Yuki Hanyu, the CEO of IntregriCulture Inc., one of the successful companies in the lab-grown meat of Japan, said, “From an energy efficiency point of view, the energy conversion along each step of the process is 10 times more effective when you use microalgae as opposed to grain.”

The traditional meat and dairy industry is responsible for 11-20% of emissions of greenhouse gas and 30% of emissions of methane. Where global meat production is increasing deforestation, cultured meat production aims to reduce the deforestation rate.

Less bacterial contamination

Consuming traditional meat can spread contamination and increase diseases. Several foodborne bacteria like salmonella and E. coli are often found on the surface of the meat. Therefore, if the meat is not well cooked, these bacteria survive in the meat and spread several diseases like hepatitis, noroviruses, infections and more.

Cultured meat, however, offers a safer alternative. Since lab-grown meat does not require slaughter, it eliminates the chance of contamination. It can offer cruelty-free hamburgers without the risk of spreading foodborne diseases.

Cheaper than traditional meat

The current production of cultured meat is considerably expensive, exceeding $2000 per pound. However, it is necessary to understand the initial costs of any new products or technology are normally high, with time as the demand increases the price reduces. The first lab-grown burger was produced in 2013 with a price tag of $300,000.

Since 2013, it can be considered a significant price reduction. As soon as the meat companies refine their meat production process and scale up their production ratio, the price of lab-grown meat will be reduced significantly. It can be anticipated that the price of cultured meat will become comparable with the traditional one during that time.

Less antibiotic resistance

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has listed Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) as one of the top 10 threats to global health. However, in traditional meat production antibiotics have been overused for the faster growth of animals and to prevent diseases. 66% of antibiotics have been used in animal farming, from where antibiotic resistance happens.

The cultured meat does not require antibiotics to prevent any health issues and faster growth. It is produced in a controlled environment and sterile without any effective use of antibiotics. This can completely eliminate the antibiotic resistance that causes several common infections like pneumonia, urinary tract infections and more.

Can meet global meat demand

Over the last 50 years, the global demand for meat has just tripled. High demand causes environmental issues like deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, huge water consumption and more. The global hunger, for instance, was around 828 million in 2021.

To meet global hunger and fulfil the meat demand, the lab-grown meet can be an alternate option. It requires five times less water and 99% less land to produce meat. Global lab-grown meat production also be valued at $0.2 billion in 2024. 

Potential consequences of lab-grown meat

There might be several potential consequences of the lab-grown meat market. It might completely change the traditional meat consumption nature of people or it can be a great failure by considering its higher energy consumption through fossil fuels.

Economic impact

The rise of lab-grown meat and its potential benefits can disrupt the agriculture industry, especially animal farming and its supply chain. In the agriculture industry, millions of people are employed and huge profits come from this field. If cultured meat replaces the traditional meat market, then it could lead to job losses.

Although new jobs will created in the cultured meat market, it might require different skills from the traditional market. Cultured food production, for instance, needs higher investment in biotechnology, which can strengthen corporate control over the food supply.

The livestock farming sector was around $6.9 billion in 2023, conversely, the lab-grown meat sector was around $0.2 billion in 2024. If shifts happen between these two sectors, then rather than normal farmers the demand for bioreactor technology, cell culture media development and others will increase.

Ethical and social impact

The lab-grown meat can play a crucial role in reducing the animal suffering. In livestock farming, millions of animals are slaughtered under inhuman conditions. In lab-grown meat production, there is no need to raise and kill animals which can address ethical concerns.

However, cultured meat production requires higher production costs and energy. Therefore, to increase the market size, it needs to wait for technological advancements and investment in research and development.

The cultured meat market contains complex religious and cultural landscapes. In the kosher and halal dietary laws, ongoing debates can arise about whether the meat aligns with their religious tradition or not. Therefore, concerns remain about the acceptance of cultured meat replacing traditional meat.

The popularity of unprocessed and vegan food, however, has increased in the market over the decades. Considering the growing consumer demand might help the industry to gain faster growth in the market as a sustainable and healthier food option.

Environmental impact

The popularity of lab-grown meat has increased because of its less land use, less greenhouse gas production, less water use and less energy use compared to conventional meat production. New research done by the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) expresses their concerns that cultured meat production can cause higher environmental pollution than conventional meat production. 

It has been estimated that the lab-grown market can reach $214 million by 2027 with a CAGR rate of 61.4%. However, this faster growth of the market required higher energy consumption. Technologies like the bioreactor and others fully rely on fossil fuels, which can increase global warming.

However, with technological advancement in the future, the potential risk can be reduced. The associate professor in the Department of Food Science and Technology at UC Davis, Edward Spang, said, “It’s possible we could reduce its environmental impact in the future, but it will require significant technical advancement to simultaneously increase the performance and decrease the cost of the cell culture media.”

Sustainable alternatives to meat

Rather than lab-grown meat, several other sustainable alternatives of meat can replace the traditional meat demand. Plant-based meat, insect protein and mycoprotein can be a healthier and more sustainable option of conventional meat.

Plant-based meat

The meat directly produced from plants refers to plant-based meat. It is also composed of protein, vitamins, fat, water and minerals like animal-based meat. It also looks like animal-based meat including its texture, taste and more.

Using plant ingredients like beans, wheat, soy and peas that have been made by using 99% less water and 93% less land compared to conventional meat. In plant-based meat, some sort of proteins like tempeh, tofu and soy, plant oils like canola oil or sunflower oil and vegan binding elements like aquafaba, flour and beans are used to mimic the texture of the conventional meat.

Insect protein

The emerging demand for insect protein as an alternative to traditional meat has been found in the market. High-quality feedstocks that have been collected from several insects to use in foods are called insect protein. The protein is mostly derived from edible insects like the black soldier fly, cricket and more.

Insect farming is also sustainable and efficient because it requires significantly small space. Several insect-base proteins like snacks, power and flour are accepted by several people as a good source of protein by replacing conventional meat. 

Mycoprotein

Mycoprotein is made from a natural fungus, Fusarium venenatum. It is high in fibre, rich with amino acids, has a mimic texture of meat, and low in cholesterol. In the market, it is available in a variety of forms including patties, burgers, strips, cutlets and more.

In 1983 the use of the mycoprotein was approved by the UK Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. It was also marked as safe in 2001 by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Compared to livestock farming, mycoprotein production requires less water and land making it environmentally sustainable.

Global perspectives of lab-grown meat market

By considering the healthier options and potential benefits of lab-grown meat, several countries have been found to take several approaches to replace conventional meat needs with cultured meat.

To approve the cultured meat, Singapore took the first place. In 2023, the lab-grown market size was valued at around $21.75 million and with a CAGR rate of 48.45%, it can reach $761.17 million by 2032. Huber’s Butchery and Bistro of Singapore is the only restaurant in the world that has a cultured meat option on its menu. The California-based meet creator, Eat Just, got praised because of their cultured meat production that tastes like real meat and is also sustainable.

In the US, the sale of cultured meat was cleared by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Two US-based companies Good Meat and Upside Foods are approved to sell cell-based proteins. As the American people are open to adopting innovative foods therefore the willingness to accept cultured meat has been observed.

Similarly, in the Netherlands, the Dutch Government allowed the consumption of cultured meat. The Netherlands became the first country in Europe who get the approval of cultured meat. It is added to the “National Growth Fund” plan of the Dutch government, for which €60 million has been invested to construct a robust ecosystem for cellular agriculture.

In Japan, the cultured meat is also getting attention. In Japan, it is still in the research phase, but it is estimated that if the livestock farmers agree to donate animal cells then the market can reach ¥9 billion in 2050.

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