Cellular Agriculture: Are labs the farms of the future? 🧫
It is bizarre to think that we live in a world where about 70% of the earth’s clean and fresh water is used just for agriculture.
Just take that in, 70 PERCENT‼
That’s more water that is used in agriculture alone than in any other industry, which is due to the fact that the production of beef and chicken along with other meats is consuming all of our planet’s freshwater.
For instance, did you know that 1 pound of beef requires about 1800 gallons’ worth of drinking water??
That’s insane and something needs to be done to solve this. Well, what if I told you there is?
Presenting…
Cellular Agriculture
You must have heard or read this term before unless you are living under a rock as it is a fascinating field with tons of research being done to solve this issue and many others like climate change and world hunger. Just for the context of what the “problem” really is, approximately 7.6 billion people are on planet Earth, and just today, from the time you woke up to the time you are reading this, 25,000 people died from hunger. 1 in 7 people lack access to clean water, while another 1 in 9 people does not have a sufficient food source. Not only that but 800 million people, that’s right, 800 million, which is almost 2.5 times the US’s size, are malnourished. This is not from a movie or a means of guilting you for your eating habits.
No.
This is today, and it is happening on our planet.
So all fun and jokes aside, let me elaborate on a potential solution for this issue. Now I am not saying that this will cure world hunger instantly or fix all the current issues, but it is a step in the right direction towards a green and sustainable future. It is our role as human beings to be a part of this change.
So you may be wondering :
What is cellular agriculture?
Well, you know what agriculture is, which is the science of cultivating the soil, growing crops and raising livestock, making it the backbone of the food industry. And we know that the word cellular implies looking at it at the cellular level.
So basically, cellular agriculture is looking at the production of agricultural products at a cellular level or, as the textbook definition says, from cell cultures. Now you may be wondering what cell cultures are? 🤔
Well, let me tell you!!
Cell cultures are the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria or human/animal cells in a laboratory.
But wait! Before you get too ahead of yourself, there are two types of cultured products which are :
Acellular: made up of organic molecules like proteins and fats but contain no cellular or any living material.
Cellular: Pretty self -explanatory, which is cellular products made of living cells.
Products harvested from cell cultures taste and look exactly the same as those collected from the animal/plant itself as they are the same, but the difference is how they are made.
Currently, the technology needed to make the end-products feasible is still in the early stages of development and is one of the reasons it is not commercially available. The ultimate goal is obvious: which is to get cell-based meat to a point where no animals need to be killed, and it is available everywhere at an affordable cost. Non-Profit organizations such as the Good Food Institute are currently supporting businesses to get their products to the market. Don’t be surprised if you are shopping at a grocery store and happen to see a meat package that was produced using cell cultures because that day isn’t far from now.
Fun Fact: KFC is working on 3D-printing their chicken nuggets making them the first fast-food company actually to work on commercializing cultured meat🍖
Now let’s take a trip outside the field of cellular agriculture as there is also something known as plant-based meat — not to be confused with cultured meat). You are probably more familiar with plant-based alternatives as you might have had some interaction with it at your local Starbucks or Burger King, depending on your location.
In comparison to meat derived from cell cultures (cell-based meat), plant-based meat doesn’t contain any sort of meat but is instead designed to create and look like conventional meat and is derived from elements of the vegetal origin such as pea protein, soy protein and many more. This technology can be used to mimic any form of processed meat like a burger patty or nuggets.
Some companies that are in the plant-based market and have garnered loads of hype over the last few months would be the two rivals Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat, both of which have engineered burgers that imitate the taste of ground meat even though it is meatless. Two Canadian companies currently embracing meatless alternatives are Maple Leaf and Yves Veggie Cuisine, who are working on providing nutritious plant-based snacks tailored towards Vegans and Vegetarians.
Now the question we have all been waiting for…
Are plant-based meats healthier than conventional ones?
The answer to that would be, it depends. Plant-based meat does not have cholesterol and has a bit of fibre that conventional meat lacks, but are generally higher in sodium. However, plant-based options allow us to reduce our meat consumption and better balance our diet.
Eating plant-based meat helps us reduce our red meat intake, which is way too high as it stands with an average American eating 2.4 burgers per day. Remember what I said at the beginning of this article: 1 pound of beef requires about 1800 gallons’ worth of drinking water?
Meeting the demands of consumers requires a steady supply of meat, which can lead to the use of natural resources at an accelerating and mindblowing pace. Therefore, plant-based options are more sustainable and environmentally-friendly and are better for both our planet and animals. It would reduce the consumption of our resources drastically and slow down the accelerated rate of climate change.
Although cell-based and plant-based alternatives rely on different technologies, both are here to help us create a sustainable food system. They intend to provide consumers with more choices that have a lower environmental impact. Even though this may have been the first time you heard about cellular agriculture, there is lots of potential and room for improvement, which will provide solutions to quench people’s hunger by refraining the need to slaughter animals and wasting water or land resources.
Cellular agriculture will revolutionize the food industry for generations to come, and you could be at the forefront of this change.
Disclaimer: Currently, most Research and Development is being conducted in labs. Hence the title stating labs being the “new farms,” but as cell-based products improve in terms of cost-effectiveness and quality assurance, they will be produced at mass scale in larger facilities.
If you have made it to the end of this article, please share it with your friends to bring awareness about this field and educate individuals about this fascinating topic.
This article is one of many developed to broaden your understanding of this field with loads of groundbreaking research and developments.
About the Author :
Zaki is an ambitious student who is currently working with Cellular Agriculture Canada to look into the field of Cellular Agriculture in means of educating today’s youth about this interesting field.
To learn more about Zaki, visit: https://zakirangwala.com//
Sign up to our mailing list to receive our newsletter, where new articles will be shared!
To learn more about Cellular Agriculture Canada, visit https://www.cellag.ca/
And follow our socials :
