The idea of eating meat grown in a test tube may sound like the futuristic stuff of science fiction, but thanks to several forward-thinking start-ups, it’s one food revolution that’s almost upon us. 

According to the scientists at the helm of this brave new world, we’ll soon be producing cultured meat - or “clean” meat as it’s known in the industry - from any number of species, with no animal needing to suffer. These new technologies have the potential to change meat as we know it, and with an ethical and humane future for the billions of animals killed worldwide every year for meat looking closer by the day, it’s a revolution that can’t come soon enough.

What is Cultured Meat?

The process of creating meat begins by taking stem cells from the muscle tissues of an animal under anaesthesia. These cells are added to a medium (comprised of nutrients and growth factors) which is placed in a bioreactor, a machine that enables the cells to multiply. Once these cells proliferate into their millions, the cell strands are artificially layered together forming exactly the same product from the outset – meat. And it’s meat that’s free of antibiotics, steroids, pesticides and a host of other chemicals required to keep livestock healthy.

A Brief History of Cultured Meat

In 2013, the chief scientific officer of the Netherlands-based Mosa Meat, Mark Post, presented the world’s first cultured beef burger created in a petri dish in London, which cost an eye-watering $454,000 AUD. Since then around 40 companies, mainly in Europe and the U.S., have scrambled to produce cultured meat at a commercially viable cost. There’s California-based Memphis Meats whose cell-grown meatballs and chicken wings garnered worldwide attention a few years back, while the Singapore-based Shiok Meats is leading the way with cell-based crustaceans. 

Israel’s Future Meat Technologies, meanwhile, has drastically cut the manufacturing process to two weeks, allowing for a much greater meat yield and dramatically reduced production costs. Several Australian companies are racing to produce clean meat, including Heuros in Brisbane and Sydney’s Vow that’s currently experimenting with cell-meat from kangaroos. 

Green-Friendly Cultured Meat

Animal agriculture is one of the biggest producers of greenhouse gas emissions globally and the amount of land surface that’s required for animal feed is rapidly increasing every year. In contrast, Mosa Meat claims it can produce 800 million strands of muscle tissue, which is enough to make a staggering 80,000 quarter pounders, from just one cow. Such mind-boggling numbers make humanity’s shift towards cultured meat a definite no-brainer!

Pandemic-Proof Cultured Meat

The recent coronavirus pandemic has changed the way we live our life and has shown us what’s working and what isn’t. Flexible working arrangements, staying home when sick and a slower pace of life - working. Eating animals - not working. Since the pandemic reached full swing around March 2020, sales for plant-based meat in the US grew by 285%. 

It’s well known that the coronavirus pandemic came as a result of eating wild meat however previous epidemics, like swine flu and bird flu, were the result of farmed animals. The often cramped and unhygienic conditions of many animal farms are breeding grounds for bacteria and disease. Combine that with the close human to animal contact and you have a recipe for zoonotic disease outbreaks. 

It’s becoming clear that continuing to farm and eat meat and other animal products the way we do is tempting fate. The risk of another pandemic becomes a question of ‘when’ not ‘if’. Enter cultured meat, a way to have your steak and eat it too - without risking a pandemic.

Human-Friendly Cultured Meat

There’s no doubt about it, humans love meat. The demand for meat is on the rise and is expected to double by 2050. This despite the fact that a diet high in animal products has been linked to chronic illnesses such as heart disease - the leading cause of death in the western world. On top of this, the earth simply cannot sustain the livestock required to meet the growing demand for meat. This paints a grim picture of our future. One in which ill health and food insecurity reigns. In this future, less privileged people suffer. They will endure both food insecurity and lower quality, less healthy meat.

Cultured meat offers a two pronged solution. It has the potential to meet the growing demand for meat while using less resources and it can provide healthier meat. After all, it is meat made in a lab; the quality can be controlled.

Animal-Friendly Cultured Meat

Billions of animals are slaughtered each year to become the food on our plates. Prior to their slaughter, they often live a life of cruel captivity. The rise of veganism around the world shows that people are becoming more aware of the conditions animals face and aren’t willing to let taste dictate their moral compass. But wouldn’t it be great if we could hold on to our moral values and enjoy the taste of meat without hurting animals in the process? Clean meat offers to do just that.

Beyond just meat, this technology has the potential to provide us with any animal product without the animal cruelty. Imagine a cruelty free cultured brie, healthier than the traditional product, and looking beautiful on your cruelty free cheese board.