Amidst Legal and Health Controversies, Can Lab-Grown Meat Resolve the Global Food Crisis?

The debate has been ongoing since the announcement by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in March 2023 that lab-grown meat, also known as cultivated meat, is safe for consumption, and scientific studies have confirmed that the costs of producing this meat are decreasing annually.

The controversy extends beyond discussing the differences between cultivated and conventional meats from slaughtered animals and their impact on solving the global food crisis. It also touches on religious debates.

The reason for this is that the first-ever fatwa (religious edict) regarding the permissibility of using cultivated meat could potentially affect how billions of people consume meat in the future, especially in light of the increasing global demand for halal products.

Experts suggest that lab-grown meats could become affordable, perhaps even more so than traditional farm animal meats, due to ongoing laboratory advancements and cost reductions.

Lab-grown meats represent a potential source of animal protein that scientists anticipate humans will rely on for their future nutrition.

 

Cultivation Process

Amid escalating international warnings of impending food crises, as highlighted in a United Nations report in October 2022, citing unprecedented threats to global food security due to conflicts and wars, revelations have emerged about the role of “food barons” in the form of global food supply and distribution chains and food patents.

The involvement of these food barons in exacerbating the crisis through their monopoly on food distribution and production has raised questions about the feasibility of countering these monopolistic supply chains with “cultivated meat.”

ETC Group organization previously disclosed the dominance of 4-6 massive companies over most of the global food chains, endangering global food security due to this monopolistic situation.

In a report published on September 7, 2022, the non-governmental organization stated that just as a few companies control the food supply and production process through intellectual property claims, another limited number of giant companies control global food distribution chains, putting the world at the mercy of a new type of monopolists or food barons.

Meat produced in this manner can help address the challenges facing global food systems related to climate change, food safety, food security, and animal welfare.

A joint report by the United Nations and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development anticipates a 15% increase in global meat demand by 2031 due to the “rising number of affluent populations.”

The process of cultivating lab-grown meat represents a fundamentally distinct procedure when compared to the conventional growth of animals in a natural setting. However, it is noteworthy that the ultimate product derived from both methodologies exhibits an exceptionally close biological resemblance.

The process of cultivating meat entails the extraction of stem cells possessing the inherent capacity for growth from a living animal, followed by their meticulous cultivation within specialized bioreactors.

These self-renewing stem cells, extracted with a fine needle from the animal’s muscles, are fed with a nutrient-rich serum tailored to their growth needs. They multiply and proliferate, forming precise structures that mimic the muscle fibers of conventional animal meat.

David Kay, Director of Relations at a lab-grown meat production company, explains the cultivation process, stating that these cells are deposited into a spacious stainless steel tank and provided with the necessary nutrients for growth and replication.

Once the meat attains the desired size, it undergoes harvesting procedures as if it had undergone natural maturation, and manufacturers can subsequently process it into any preferred form.

Maya Kerry, director of media and communications at an institute focused on “alternative protein development,” notes that meat cultivation occurs through the same biological processes that occur inside the animal, by providing warmth and essential elements necessary for muscle and fat development.

 

Beneficial or Harmful?

Despite American company scientists promoting the safety of lab-grown meats, researchers at the University of California, Davis, have revealed that lab-grown meats, produced through the cultivation of animal cells, can be up to 25 times worse for the climate compared to beef.

In a study published on April 21, 2023, the researchers stated that current lab-grown meat production techniques could result in greenhouse gas emissions up to 25 times higher compared to traditional meat production methods, which completely contradicts the goal of cultivating these meats.

The study indicated that emissions from traditional meat production range from 9.6 to 432 kilograms of carbon dioxide per kilogram of meat produced.

Ashley Kitchens, a member of the American Center for Food Safety, questions the safety of these meats.

She pointed out that lab-grown meats do not have a fully functioning immune system, like natural animals, so they are believed to be more susceptible to contamination.

She clarified that it is not known whether lab-grown meats are safe or pose any safety concerns, either more or less than traditional meats.

However, Maya Kerry argues that lab-grown meats can be safer than traditional meats in terms of safety considerations because they do not use antibiotics or antifungal agents at all during their production.

This means that these lab-grown meats are likely to lead to fewer foodborne illnesses, as many human diseases originate from animals, and lab-grown meat can provide a safe solution.

Credit: ClimateScience

According to the University of Oxford, lab-grown meats have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 96%.

Lab-grown meats also provide an opportunity for vegetarians to enjoy animal protein, especially for those who abstain from it due to ethical concerns related to killing live animals for meat.

However, media reports suggest that the challenge remains in the higher cost of cultivated meats compared to their natural counterparts.

On June 21, 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture gave the green light to two well-known companies to sell chicken produced from animal cells, with these companies competing to become the first in the U.S. to sell “cell-cultured” or “cultivated meats.”

 

Religious Perspective

As soon as the idea of cultivating meats in labs from animal stem cells emerged, there was a theological debate about whether they are halal (permissible) or not in Islamic dietary laws.

The prevailing opinion of the majority of scholars is that lab-grown meats without the need to raise or slaughter animals can be halal, but this comes with specific conditions and without a definitive answer to this theological issue.

On September 11, 2023, AFP reported that a group of leading Muslim scholars provided insights to the American company Eat Just, suggesting that these cell-cultured meats could be halal if they met certain production standards without specifying the exact criteria.

The scholars concluded that cell-cultured meats could be considered halal under four conditions.

First, the cells used must be extracted from a halal (permissible) animal, such as chicken or beef. Second, the slaughter of the animal from which the cells are extracted must adhere to Islamic law.

Third, the nutrients provided to the cells for growth must be halal, containing no forbidden substances like spilled blood, alcohol, or materials derived from improperly slaughtered animals or pigs.

Fourth, cultured meats must be fit for consumption and pose no harm to human health, which would be verified by relevant authorities in different countries.

More than 150 companies are focusing on meats derived from cells, not only for chicken but also for pork, lamb, fish, and beef.

Scientists emphasize that these meats would be considered haram (forbidden) if it were proven that they were cultured from pig cells.

The approval of Muslim scholars for Muslims to consume such meats is considered a significant step toward international acceptance of lab-grown meats, given that consumers of halal products represent about 25% of the global population.

A statement from Eat Just explained that with the rapid increase in the Muslim population, their consumption of meat is growing, making this fatwa (religious ruling) crucial for marketing this type of cultured meat.

The global halal meat trade was estimated at $202 billion in 2021, and it is expected to reach $375 billion by 2030.

According to the consulting firm Kearney, the present-day global meat market is estimated to be valued at approximately $1 trillion annually.