Embarrassing development for lab-grown meats!

As detailed in a peer-reviewed article, the environmental impacts of lab-grown meats, which are supposed to be an alternative to traditional meat, are “in order of magnitude”, at least according to current production methods, from store-bought retail beef—which itself is a highly environmentally damaging foodstuff. was found to be higher.

Great shame and destruction

If the research is confirmed, it can be argued that lab-grown meat, which has long been seen as a greener alternative to meat products that do not contain animal slaughter, could harm the environment more than the products it is trying to replace. “Our findings show that cultured meat is no better for the environment than conventional beef. So it’s not a panacea,” author Edward Spang, associate professor at UC Davis, said in a statement.

Fortunately, the researchers suggest there may be effective ways to drastically reduce this carbon footprint in the long run, meaning the game isn’t over for lab-grown meat yet.

Not the end game for artificial meats

Evaluating the energy cycle and greenhouse gas emissions needed at all stages of production of lab-grown meat compared to conventional beef, the researchers found that the global warming potential of lab-grown meat (an environmental metric measured in kilograms of CO2 emissions) is four to 25 times greater than the average of store-bought beef products. Has detected.

One of the biggest drawbacks, according to the researchers, is that cultures that allow cells to grow in vitro require highly refined growth media. “If companies have to purify the growth medium down to pharmaceutical levels, it uses more resources, which increases the potential for global warming,” said Derrick Risner, lead author of the study.

Trying to compare artificial meat production to the production of “medicine” in the statements made may have worse consequences for the environment. The researchers note that this type of approach would be both worse for the environment and more expensive than conventional beef production.

On the other hand, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the sale of cultured meats nationwide. In March, the FDA found the cultured chicken product produced by cultured meat company Good Meat to be safe to consume, meaning it will only need approval from the Department of Agriculture to start selling the product.

While the numbers paint a bad picture of the current state of the lab-grown meat industry, researchers and cultured meat companies aren’t willing to throw in the towel just yet. But there are still steps to be taken towards a future in which commercial-scale cultured meat production will be more sustainable, efficient and healthier for the planet than conventional animal agriculture. These include manufacturing costs, required drug-grade ingredient dependency, and commercial production capacity.