An important piece in the puzzle of a sustainable food system
It is commonly referred to as “cell-cultured meat” or “cultivated meat” and is referenced among innovations to support within Horizon Europe to increase the availability and source of alternative proteins.
Cultivated meat is grown from small samples of animal cells outside the bodies of animals.
It is real meat, originating from an animal, but without the need to maintain large numbers of animals under industrial conditions. Though the production processes are different, the products of cell cultured and conventionally produced meat are designed to be the same.
The original animal cells are obtained humanely from living animals through biopsies and placed in a growth medium that provides the same nutrients: e.g sugars, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and/or cell-culture factors, and other nutrients as in the natural environment.
The growth and development process takes place in bioreactors. The cells, nourished and stimulated by the medium, grow and develop into muscle, fat or other tissues.
Why do we need Cultivated Meat?
Cultivated meat will enlarge consumers’ plates.
Some may argue that cultivated meat is unnecessary as plant-based alternatives are already available, and under continuous development. However, It is likely that people will continue to eat meat, and that the dietary shift towards “less and better” meat products with a higher percentage of plant-based food might not progress as quickly as needed.
Cultivated meat is projected to become a major opportunity in the food system.
While plant-based products appeal to some consumers, meat is still perceived as a unique food product. The potential of cultivated meat is that it will have the desirable properties of conventionally produced meat, and appeal to groups of consumers who are not willing to adopt an only plant-based diet.
Cultivated meat can provide one more important piece in a puzzle of multiple approaches to the necessary transition to a sustainable food system.
FIRST CULTIVATED MEAT APPROVED FOR COMMERCIAL SALE
STARTUPS WORKING ON CULTIVATED MEAT
LOWER ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT THAN BEEF
Substantial land-use benefits and lower environmental impact
A previous study on cultivated meat assumed the use of fossil fuels and found relatively high greenhouse gas emissions. However, the results were impacted by the assumption that fossil fuels would still be the main energy source. Taking the shift to renewable energy and the EU goal of decarbonisation by 2050 into account, a recent LCA shows that cultivated meat can be a more sustainable source of protein than all conventionally produced meat when produced with solar and wind electricity and geothermal heat.
While plant-based food had the lowest environmental impact, cultivated meat produced with renewable energy reduced environmental impact by 93% compared to beef, by 53% compared to pork and by 29% compared to poultry.
For land use, cultivated meat is comparable to tofu, with a footprint of around 1.8 m2, which is substantially lower than chicken (4.6) as well as pork (6.0) and beef (8.8-31.6). For water use, cultivated meat is comparable to chicken and pork, with a footprint of around 42 m3, and substantially lower than beef (115-258 m3).
Cultivated meat and public health
Industrial animal farming is the largest consumer of antibiotics. A major benefit of cultivated meat is that it is antibiotic-free and can help save crucial antibiotic use for life-saving human medicine. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the risks posed by zoonoses, of which current animal production is a driving force. Cultivated meat, as one piece of the puzzle toward a sustainable food system, offers an opportunity to decrease antibiotic use and mitigate risks for the spread of zoonoses. Cultivated meat will also be free from pathogens such as salmonella.
There have been some issues raised about whether cultivated meat will have the same micronutrients as conventional meat. Therefore it will be important for cultivated meat to show the same, or at least a similar, nutritional profile for it to both be a real alternative to conventional meat and to be recognised as meat.
The development of new meat alternatives, such as cultivated meat and other novel food technologies, were identified in a European Commission expert report as an important component in achieving the Commission’s Food 2030 Initiative for a sustainable food system for a healthy Europe.
The ecological role of animals in cellular agriculture
Cultivated meat would make it possible to both produce meat with the same properties as conventional meat while at the same time preserve biodiversity and traditional breeds. Instead of the focus on productivity in animal breeding, there could be room for traditional, local and robust breeds that can fulfill an ecological role by grazing, while at the same time serving as stocks for cultivated meat.
Cultivated meat might still need animals for tissue sampling. Small groups of animals kept for farming in a sustainable food system are more compatible with cultivated meat than with the current industrial farming system that drives deforestation, biodiversity loss and consumes crops that can be used for human consumption.
Want to learn more about cultivated meat? Read our Briefing.
