In vitro meat production system: why and how?

Abstract

Due to the nutritional importance and the sustained popularity of meat as a foodstuff, the livestock production sector has been expanding incessantly. This exponential growth of livestock meat sector poses a gigantic challenge to the sustainability of food production system. A new technological breakthrough is being contemplated to develop a substitute for livestock meat. The idea is to grow meat in a culture in the lab and manipulate its composition selectively. This paper aims to discuss the concept of In Vitro Meat production system, articulate the underlying technology and analyse the context of its implications, as proposed by several scientists and stakeholders. The challenges facing this emerging technology have also been discussed.

The coverage of cultured meat in the US and UK traditional media, 2013–2019: drivers, sources, and competing narratives

“…Finally, major uncertainty surrounds likely public attitudes to consumption of cultured meat, which could be a major barrier to its success (Sharma et al 2015 ). Existing studies from different countries show a wide range of opinions from very supportive to very negative (Stephens et al 2018 ).…”

The future of food

“…Nevertheless, it promises to have a variety of benefits including a reduction in the use of ‘factory‐farming’, health benefits for consumers stemming from its better nutritional profile, as well as environmental benefits including reduced pollution (greenhouse gas emissions), and water and land use (Sharma et al . ).…”

“…Even if, or when, stem cell technologies can be fully commercialised there would still be challenges in overcoming potential reluctance of consumers to eat meat cultured under laboratory conditions. Nevertheless, it promises to have a variety of benefits including a reduction in the use of 'factory-farming', health benefits for consumers stemming from its better nutritional profile, as well as environmental benefits including reduced pollution (greenhouse gas emissions), and water and land use (Sharma et al 2015).…”

Tissue Engineering for Clean Meat Production

“…Ethical concerns regarding factory farms (Verbeke and Viaene, 2000;Schröder and McEachern, 2004;Herzog, 2016) and the slaughter of animals is another drive behind clean meat research (Hopkins and Dacey, 2008;van der Weele and Driessen, 2013;Sharma et al, 2015). The public and the scientific community have come to respect farm animals as sentient beings, with physical and psychological needs (Hughes, 1995;Dawkins, 2006;Duncan, 2006;Webster, 2006;Panskeep and Others, 2012).…”