Putting Cell-Based Meat Under The Microscope

Hold on to your poultry—the lab-based chickens are coming.

Last summer, the United States Department of Agriculture gave the green light to UPSIDE Foods and GOOD Meat, two California-based food technology companies, to sell their lab-grown chicken in America.

The decision comes after the United States Food and Drug Administration approved the companies’ engineered poultry as safe for consumption in November of 2022 and this past March.

Lab-grown meat is cultivated using animal stem cells that self-replicate through a process known as differentiation to develop specialized functions. They are harvested from animal tissues via biopsy or from fertilized eggs. 

Adult stem cells, which reside in specific animal tissues and replicate into the cells from the organs they were derived from, are less costly than pluripotent stem cells. They are acquired from mammalian embryos or created by reprogramming adult stem cells. 

These cells are then tested for taste and potency and placed in bioreactors, large vessels containing amino acids, glucose, vitamins, inorganic salts and proteins to stimulate reproduction.

Oftentimes the cells are paired with scaffolds—natural and synthetic structures like gelatin, carrageenan, polyethylene glycol and polyacrylamide—to develop the skeletal muscle, fat and connective tissues that mirror the cellular organization of the desired food.

After two to eight weeks, the cells are removed from the tanks and molded into chicken nuggets, burger patties, chicken breasts or steaks. 

In-vitro meat is projected to reduce the meat industry’s contribution to climate change by alleviating the demand for livestock farming, which studies say account for between 11-19 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. 

Specifically, lab-grown cultures are projected to reduce water usage by approximately 89 percent, land usage by 99 percent and greenhouse gas emissions by 96%. 

It also intends to provide a more sustainable way to feed the global increase in population and demand for meat, which is estimated to increase by 60 and 70 percent, respectively, by 2050.

 Additionally, lab-based meat offers an alternative to the ethical issues associated with the meat industry, like the poor housing and treatment of cows, and health concerns related to the overuse of antibiotics in cattle.

But these benefits are not guaranteed. In fact, cell-based meat poses its own problems.

The additives required for proper in-vitro meat cultivation, such as bioreactors, scaffolds and growth mediums are more expensive and contribute more greenhouse gas emissions.

The first lab-grown burger developed in 2013 cost nearly $330,000 to make, and while expenses are estimated to decrease with technological advances and competition, that could take decades. 

Lab-grown meat also poses ethical dilemmas. 

Fetal bovine serum, blood obtained by slaughtering pregnant cows and draining a calf fetus’ heart until it dies,  is the most common growth medium used to stimulate cell development. 

There’s also the question of whether animals feel pain when injected for a biopsy to harvest their stem cells and concern regarding the manipulation of embryonic stem cells. 

Lastly, there’s the issue of transparency and safety. 

The FDA requires lab-based meat to be labeled for purchase, but there is limited research available regarding their safety and long-term effects.  

How do we know that these methods won’t lead to abnormalities in our health?

Despite the air of excitement that has arisen with lab-based meat, there is more than meets the eye that is worth investigating for the sake of animals, the environment and our well-being.