A Future of Lab Grown Meat?

Since the neolithic age, humans have relied on meat as a primary source of food although the methods of obtaining it have significantly changed. Whereas hunters and gatherers hunted their meat, we now farm-raise animals to be consumed. Yet many questions surround our current way of harvesting meat. Is it sustainable and ethical enough? Is there a better way of getting it? Will there be another sweeping shift where we change the way that we get our meat? Are there better options? The science of lab-grown meat may have some answers and solutions to those questions. 

The most common way that meat is now obtained is through big corporate factory farms who focus on maximizing profit through very high production rates. This usually means very harsh, crammed conditions for the animals. These kinds of farms have increasingly been scrutinized for their unethical treatment of the animals, and for the negative impact they have on the environment. Because of this, many people have been looking to alternative sources of meat on an individual level, while others have urged us to, “transform our way of considering our  moral obligation to animals and shift the entire system of animal agriculture away from factory farming”(Oh, 2014). Since there is no possibility of everyone voluntarily choosing to become vegetarian, people have been turning to plant-based meat and the possibility of full-scale production of lab-grown meat. 

The mass production of lab-grown meat, as of now, remains only a possibility because of the uncertainty surrounding it and because of the costly process of making it even though science to produce it has been developed. The technology behind the making of this meat involves taking a sample of muscle tissue from the animal and extracting stem cells using enzymes. Then the stem cells are put in a broth of growth factors, with sugars, proteins, salts and vitamins. These cells multiply and differentiate into muscle fibers, and form the bigger muscle tissue of the meat. This all happens in a bioreactor in a laboratory, and within a few weeks it is grown and ready to be cooked and processed. This meat may seem like it should be in the stores in no time because the technology is developed,  but since there are still many pros and cons, people are still unsure if it is worth the money and time to produce it on a large scale.

Starting with cons, which is what deters people the most from this meat, is the broth that the meat is made in, the extremely high price, the little data surrounding the environmental impact it has, and public conception of the meat. The broth that the meat is made in usually contains fetal bovine serum (FBS) which comes from the blood of a dead calf and is the most efficient serum used so far. Although way fewer animals are killed, the meat isn’t totally slaughter free, and isn’t an option for vegetarians or vegans. This serum is also extremely expensive, and it adds to the cost of production.  Environmentally, there has been no conclusions as to whether or not the emissions of producing lab-grown meat are less than those from conventional farming, although lab-grown meat requires a substantially less amount of land. Because of all this uncertainty, the perception of this meat could be an obstacle in producing it on a large scale because many people regard it as fake and artificial. These all add valid arguments to the question of its production. 

On the other hand, pros include the ethics behind meat production, and the better health and safety around this meat. This way of producing meat requires many fewer animals to be killed, eliminating some of the cruel ways that animals are treated in conventional farming. For the humans eating it, there seems to be less risk of illness, like E. coli, or Salmonella, because it was grown in a controlled environment. 

If lab-grown meat does ever become something that is readily available, then many more details need to be ironed out so that consumers feel comfortable buying this modern kind of meat. 

Works Cited

Oh, Victoria Elizabeth, (2014) "Eating Misery: The Moral Question of Factory Farming and the Struggle with Affected Ignorance" 2014 Student Theses. 24. Retrieved February 26, 2022, from https://fordham.bepress.com/environ_2014/24

Schaefer, G. (2018). Lab-grown meat. Retrieved February 26, 2022, from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/lab-grown-meat/

Davies, E. (n.d.). What is lab grown meat? A scientist explains the taste, production and safety of Artificial Foods. Retrieved February 26, 2022, from https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/what-is-lab-grown-meat-a-scientist-explains-the-taste-production-and-safety-of-artificial-foods/

Severson, K. (2022). The new secret chicken recipe? animal cells. Retrieved February 26, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/15/dining/cell-cultured-meat.html

Chriki, S., & Hocquette, J. (2020). The myth of cultured meat: A review. Frontiers in Nutrition, 7. doi:10.3389/fnut.2020.00007