Laboratory-grown meat

In recent years, the global demand for meat has escalated, putting a strain on our planet’s resources, and contributing to environmental degradation. One solution appears to be cultured or cell-based meat, commonly known as lab-grown meat.

Laboratory-grown meat is derived from the cultivation of animal cells, to which a balanced combination of nutrients is added in massive bioreactors. This process takes places in a production facility, which is supposed to have no environmental drawbacks, such as heavy resource consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, and no ethical drawbacks associated with animal slaughter. Culture meat is considered more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

However, the culture media still require growth factors, hormones, antibiotics for cell development. Many companies have claimed to replace fetal calf serum, which is obtained from slaughter of animals, with artificial sera. But none of these sera seem to be readily available on the market and they have not been thoroughly discussed within the scientific community. Furthermore, bioreactors are very energy-consuming and the cost of producing lab-meat is high.

Singapore already sells lab-grown meat and the USA has recently authorized the introduction of chicken made from cultivated cells to restaurant tables. Will lab-meat be introduced in Europe? Research have shown that in vitro meat production does not yet offer any major environmental, economic or ethical advantages compared to conventional meat. Further investigations could change the game.