The Age of Lab-Grown Meat: Pros and Cons

Burgers are a guilty pleasure for many people. There are so many different kinds, from pork and chicken patties to vegan ones made of tofu or beans. Recent years saw the introduction of stem-cell burgers into the market. It is a controversial innovation with many pros and cons. As someone who values animals and ecosystems, I wonder if this can be considered ethical and if it can change the way we make meat and dairy products.

What is it?

Lab-based meat (also known as clean meat, artificial meat or cell-based meat) is exactly that: meat grown from harvested animal cells in a lab. This meat is considered “real” meat because it takes real animal tissue and replicates it to create meat identical in both nutritional value and appearance to traditional meat. It is not processed or a substitute to meat.

How is Lab-Grown Meat Different from Traditional Meat? 

Here are two key differences of lab-based meat compared to the conventional kind:

1. Less bacterial contamination

Unlike traditional meat, cultured meat is unlikely to be contaminated with harmful bacteria because it does not consist of any digestive organs.

2. More vitamins and protein

Lab-grown meat can also contain more vitamins, protein, and other nutrients, making it healthier than regular meat.

Will it Put an End to Animal Cruelty?

We have slaughtered more than 70 billion animals for food. On top of that, many factories subject animals to unethical treatment, including brutal living conditions and cruel deaths. On the other hand, cell-based meat harvests stem cells from animals using minimally invasive procedures. A single stem cell sample can be replicated to become more than 80,000 hamburgers.

Are There Any Downsides?

Often, lab-grown meat is marketed as cruelty-free, but like most innovations, it has several downsides. Here are a couple to be mindful of:

1. High carbon dioxide emissions

Traditional animal agriculture makes up nearly 15% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, but researchers suspect cultured meat may worsen these climbing numbers. Lab-grown meat may produce carbon emissions in high concentrations because the production process uses high levels of energy.

2. Ethical concerns around fetal serum use

The substance needed to create the in-vitro stem cells from the animal biopsies requires a fetal serum. This process raises many ethical worries.

3. Expensive

Due to the many factors surrounding meat grown in labs, it is quite expensive. As it becomes more widely available, it will be more pricey than traditional meat and therefore may not be an option for many people.

Final Thoughts on Lab-Grown Meat

The whole idea of engineering food is mind boggling. Lab-grown meat and other foods are still in development and the research is ongoing as they are slowly being introduced into the market. While this innovation reduces harm to animals, it has a negative effect on the environment due to carbon dioxide emissions. I always like to think that there are two sides to every coin and we must decide for ourselves if one side outweighs another.