There are many names, but they all mean the same. However, the term 'cultivated meat' is one that reflects the criteria of neutrality and descriptiveness, also making it more appealing to consumers. According to Barb Stuckey, president and chief innovation officer of the food innovation firm Mattson, “the term ‘cultivate’ really works. A cultivator is where the cells are grown; cultivation is the process of allowing the cells to multiply; and cultivated can describe the final product, which is meat, poultry, fish or seafood.”¹

Within the development of cultivated meat there are different production methods, which are used by leading start-ups worldwide. In general, to produce a steak or a hamburger patty, a small sample of stem cells from the live animal – usually from lean muscle- is taken through a harmless procedure in the same way that blood is drawn. These cells are then replicated in a culture outside the animal. After sufficient cells have grown, they are assembled in groups to form small muscle tissue. The resulting product is 100 percent real meat.* 

However, innovative processes are rapidly developing, so there are new ways to create meat without taking a biopsy from a live animal. For instance, some start-ups are working on developing chicken meat just from a single feather.

Source: *Mosa Meat (2017) | Frequently asked Questions and FAQs_Mosa+Meat 

To produce cultivated meat, no animal needs to be slaughtered. In cultivated beef production, one single donor animal could replace 400 cattle over its lifespan²⁰. Fewer animals mean more space per animal and thus better keeping conditions for the remaining animals. Cultivated meat has the potential to replace conventional meat products coming from animals which were kept in intensive keeping systems and therefore end the suffering of the over 80 billion²¹ farm animals slaughtered for human consumption globally every year.

There is an overconsumption of meat and other animal-based protein in industrialised countries and their consumption in developing countries is growing at a rapid rate: According to the OECD, an organisation of mostly wealthy countries, the demand in the developing world will rise four times as much as in the developed world by 2028.²² According to recent studies, the global demand for meat will increase by 76% until 2050 (with a 2007 reference year).²³ The increasing demand for meat and dairy products is having a detrimental effect on the environment and climate. Worldwide, 14.5²⁴ to 16.5²⁵% of total human-made greenhouse gas emissions stem from the livestock sector, of which the beef and dairy industries play the biggest part due to its methane emissions. Over 80% of all agricultural land is used to produce animal protein.²⁶

As preliminary life cycle analyses²⁷ have shown, switching to cultivated meat could bring substantial environmental benefits: For example, choosing cultivated beef over conventional beef, over 90% less land would have to be used and between 55% (if conventional energy were used) and 92% (if sustainable energy were used) less CO2 equivalents would be emitted. Although beef has the biggest potential for reducing land use and GHG emissions, all types of cultivated meat have better environmental footprints than their conventional counterparts.

Some additional expected benefits of cultivated versus conventional meat are:

• 82 to 96% less water consumption;²⁸
• minimal bacteria on the final products minimises food waste and thus further lowers the climate impact;²⁹
• no antibiotics are needed in the process of cultivating meat: The projected more than 100,000 tons of annual antibiotic use in animal agriculture by 2030 could be prevented;³⁰
• mitigation of zoonotic diseases and global pandemic risks³¹

Cultivated meat is made through a process similar to brewing beer or yeast grown for breadmaking and other foods made by large-scale cell cultures. The actual production process does not take place in the laboratory, which is why the term lab-grown meat is not appropriate. Due to the production method, it is also possible to add other components, like taste carriers or vitamins or aim for a product lower in saturated fats. As it is produced in a clean environment and needs to go through rigorous safety regulations before it can enter the market, it will be safe for human consumption.

The production process of cultivated meat does not require the use of antibiotics. In contrast, more antibiotics are given to farm animals in conventional meat production than to humans in general, which, in consequence, promotes antibiotic resistance in humans.³²

Cultivated meat is often confused with genetically modified foods because both are associated with laboratory work and biotechnology. Cultivated meat can be created from unmodified cells extracted from the live animal. Nonetheless, it is possible to cultivate meat also from genetically modified cells. There is a chance of genetic modification increasing the efficiency and advancement of cultivated meat research.³³

Not enough information is currently available on how animals are selected and used for the extraction of their stem cells nor how or where they are kept. To ensure that the cells grow after the cells have been obtained, a growing serum needs to be added to the cells. In the beginning of the overall production of cultivated meat , the common supplement was fetal calf serum – also known as fetal bovine serum – a product that is cruelly derived from the fetuses of cows which is considered to be a rich source of nutrients. From an animal welfare perspective this is a cruel method, which is not in line with animal welfare standards and thus cannot be supported by animal welfare organizations. However, new developments in the process enable that it is not necessary to use animal serum (bovine fetal serum) for cultivated meat production anymore, and can be replaced with plant-based or synthetic alternatives.*

*https://www.mosameat.com/blog/2019/11/15/mosa-meat-on-netflixs-explained

Having started off through a government-funded program, Dutch scientist Mark Post unveiled the first cultivated meat burger at a press conference in 2013.³⁵ Currently, the only country where cultivated meat is already at market is Singapore, where Good Meat’s cultivated chicken nuggets have been available since late 2020, unfortunately still using Foetal bovine Serum; regulatory approval to use Animal-Component-Free (ACF)³⁶ media for the production of its cultivated meat was only granted in January 2023.³⁷

It looks like cultured meat could be next on the U.S. retail shelves: Upside Food, which has already been using ACF media since late 2021, was the first company to receive U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)³⁸ approval for its cultured chicken in 2022,³⁹ closely followed by Good Meat, whose cultured chicken was approved in early 2023.⁴⁰ However, further approval by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)⁴¹ is still pending for both companies' products.

The regulatory pathways for cultured meat are not yet well defined in most countries. In the EU, approval could be granted in 18 months after application.⁴²

In different parts of the world, mainly in the Netherlands, USA, Singapore and Israel, there are a few start-ups who are working on the development of cultivated meat.To mention some of them: Memphis Meat (USA), Hampton Creek (USA), New Harvest (USA), Modern Meadow (USA), Eat Just (USA), Mosa Meat (NL), Meatable (NL), SuperMeat (ISR), Aleph Farms (ISR), Future Meat Technologies (ISR), Meat the Future (ISR), Integriculture Inc (Jap), Innocent Meat (GER), and many more!

Yes. Currently, a few companies in the U.S. and Canada are working on cultivated pet food⁴³, e.g. Because, Animals,⁴⁴ who sell cultivated rabbit and mouse meat treats for dogs and cats.

As an animal welfare organisation, FOUR PAWS appreciates and supports any scientific progress which aims to minimise or eliminate the suffering of farmed animals in intensive farming systems and to reduce the number of slaughtered animals. Cultivated meat is poised to become a competitor of factory farming and possibly revolutionise the food industry. Although ACF⁴⁵ growth media are already available and used by some companies, the use of animal components in the nutrient media or carrier scaffolds cannot be ruled out for the entire industry.⁴⁶ FOUR PAWS considers cultivated meat as an alternative to conventional meat only if the use of Foetal Bovine Serum and other cruelly derived animal components as well as further factors compromising animal welfare are categorically ruled out. FOUR PAWS is closely observing the developments and whole process as future consequences for farm animals are still not predictable to the full extent.

FOUR PAWS is an advocate of an animal-friendly lifestyle and encourages the reduction of animal-derived products and opting for a more plant-based diet. Read more about 'The 3Rs Principle' here!

Looking at the overall meat consumption which is continuously rising, meat is one of the favorite food items worldwide and it is unlikely that everyone will switch to a vegan diet. As cultivated meat is real meat, it might be a way to minimize cruelty to farmed animals and a way to support the end of intensive farming and factory farms, because meat can be delivered in a high quantity without the need to breed, raise, keep and slaughter billions of animals for it, like it is done today.