Cultivated Meat is Coming Your Way 🍗

GOOD Meat got FDA-approved! March 2023 marks an exciting point in the history of cultivated meat, and it is now one step closer to being commercialized in the US.

Source: GFI

Just in case you don’t know already, cultivated meat is basically meat that is produced by growing animal cells in a laboratory rather than raising and slaughtering animals on a farm. Scientists take a small sample of animal cells, usually muscle cells, and then cultivate them in a nutrient-rich solution to allow them to grow and multiply. These cells are then harvested and processed to create meat products that are similar in taste, texture, and nutritional value to conventionally produced meat. If you want more details, you can check out my previous article about it.

History

Let’s first dive into some notable moments in the history of cultivated meat to better understand why it’s such a big deal.

1950s—The idea of cultured meat was first realized by Willem van Eelen, a Dutch researcher.

1971—Russel Ross, a pathologist, achieved the successful cultivation of muscle fibers in vitro. This was demonstrated when he grew guinea-pig aorta in a culture.

2001—Wiete Westerhof along with van Eelen and Willem van Kooten filed for a worldwide patent on a process to produce cultured meat.

2008—The Dutch government invested $4 million into experiments regarding cultured meat AND The In Vitro Meat Consortium held the first international conference regarding cultivated meat.

August 2013—Hanni Rützler tastes the world’s first cultured hamburger. The patty was made from over 20,000 thin strands of muscle tissue over the span of 2 years.

August 2019 — The Alliance for Meat, Poultry & Seafood Innovation (AMPS Innovation) was established by five US-based startups in August 2019. The coalition’s objective was to cooperate with regulatory agencies to establish a framework that would enable the introduction of cultured meat and seafood to the market.

November 2022 — the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave Upside Foods, a San-Francisco-based startup, approval to sell their lab-grown chicken.

And now…March 2023, GOOD Meat, a company based in Singampore, becomes the second startup to secure a ‘no questions’ letter from the FDA.

You might be thinking…why does all this matter?

So, why is this such a big deal??

“Today’s news is more than just another regulatory decision — it’s food system transformation in action.” - Bruce Friedrich, founder and president of the Good Food Institute

Bruce Friedrich is the president of the Good Food Institute, a nonprofit think tank and international network of organizations working to accelerate alternative protein innovation. He acknowledges the importance of this second FDA approval and recognizes its importance for the future of food, not only for the climate but also for the economy and us, the people.

Source

“Consumers and future generations deserve the foods they love made more sustainably and in ways that benefit the public good — ways that preserve our land and water, ways that protect our climate and global health.” — Bruce Friedrich

GOOD Meat’s cultivated chicken has been available to consumers in Singapore since December 2020, and now they are coming to the US, making it the first cultured meat product to obtain regulatory clearance in various parts of the world.

Think of cultivated meat to traditional animal farming as what electric cars are to gasoline-powered vehicles. It’s truly incredible.

Lab-Grown Meat vs. Conventional Meat

Cellular Agriculture IS the future of food.

1. Cell-based meat could allow for up to 92% less greenhouse gas emissions (kg-CO2-eq/kg-meat), and 93% less air pollution (Studies by CE Delft)

Environmental Sustainability is a huge benefit and can help us arrive at a sustainable future. Conventional meat production is resource-intensive and has a significant impact on the environment, including deforestation, water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and soil degradation. Cultivated meat, on the other hand, has a much lower environmental footprint, as it requires significantly less land, water, and energy to produce.

2. Cell-based meat uses up to 95% percent less land than conventional meat (m2-yr-land/kg-meat)

We all know that conventional meat production requires vast amounts of land for grazing, feed production, and waste disposal, which can lead to deforestation, soil erosion, and water pollution. However, cultivated meat is much better as it does not involve raising whole animals. The cells used to produce cultivated meat can be grown in a lab, and only a small amount of land is required for the production of nutrient-rich feedstock.

3. Cell-based meat uses up to 78% less water than conventional meat (l-water/kg-meat)

The same idea goes for water consumption. While traditional meat production is a water-intensive process, with high amounts of water required for feed production, animal husbandry, and processing, cultured meat cells are grown in a nutrient-rich solution in a closed system, which can be recycled and reused.

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4. Global demand for meat is projected to rise 50 percent between 2013 and 2050.

Cultured meat can help us satisfy the growing demand for meat and the growing population. Especially in underdeveloped countries, cultivated meat has the potential to provide a sustainable and secure source of protein, especially in regions where conventional meat production is limited or unsustainable.

6. Cell-based meat requires no antibiotics and is produced in a controlled environment

The overuse of antibiotics in conventional meat production has led to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which can pose a serious threat to public health. Cultivated meat can be produced in a sterile environment, reducing the risk of foodborne illness and antibiotic resistance.

Yes, I know you’re going to say…lab-grown meat is literally 3 times more expensive than regular meat. But let me assure you that the price will drop soon as this emerging technology is more developed.

Two studies conducted by the Good Food Institute and European animal rights group GAIA found that by 2030, cost of cell-based meat production could drop to $2.57 per pound based on scaling and renewable energy. The research utilizes real data from various companies involved in the field, and conducts an assessment of the production process for lab-grown meat, including its life cycle and economic feasibility.

And yes…it’s not really widely accepted. Remember the launch of the first iPhone though: everyone thought it was some sort of crazy and weird invention. Now look at us, there are more than 120 million iPhone users in the United States alone. I bet you the same thing will happen with cultured meat.

Of course, there are also a lot of other challenges (I’ll touch on those in upcoming articles) that come with cultured meat, but trust me, we going to get there with time. Just wait for it. 😉

Read more about the most recent FDA Approval 👇🏻

GOOD Meat gets green light from FDA for cultivated meat

FDA clears lab-grown chicken as safe to eat

Cultivated meat is closer to our plate now that Good Meat also gets FDA blessing

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