Lab-grown meat is closer every day. Would you eat a cultivated pastrami sandwich? | Opinion

The headline on a story in The Star last November asked an important contemporary question: “Meat made from cells, not livestock, is here. But will it ever replace traditional meat?” The report from Associated Press reporter Laura Ungar looked at cultivated meat — food created by replicating animal cells in a bioreactor — as more humane and environmentally sustainable than breeding and slaughtering livestock. But will it eventually push animal flesh off our dinner plates?

That depends largely on the availability of animal meat at neighborhood supermarkets at cheap price, its continued lucrative export to other countries, and consumers liking it as much as they like traditional meat. Even then, a segment of society might not accept it for one reason or other, such as ethical concerns, the fact that it’s highly processed, or its controversial nature in Muslim-majority countries (even if it’s certified as halal). Consumers may hesitate — and why not just go plant-based and simply eat vegan? One study carried in in Sydney, Australia, found that almost 75% of Gen Zers there were “disgusted” by the idea of lab-grown meat.

Although the goal of producing cultured meat is worthy, the manufacturing process is still in its infancy and the relevant underlying science requires more scrutiny in regard to potential safety issues. Lab-grown meat cells do not have fully functioning immune systems, and there is concern they might be at higher risk of contamination. The industry is also reluctant to disclose information about how the meat is engineered, or about the highly refined growth media used to help animal cells multiply, on the basis that it is a trade secret.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis recently concluded that lab-grown meat could potentially have an even larger carbon footprint than beef, based on production methods used now and in the near future. Furthermore, it is not entirely clear yet just how healthy lab-grown meat will be once it’s being produced at volumes sufficient for retail sale, and how its nutritional contents will compare with traditional meat.

Nevertheless, clarification about the Food and Drug Administration and the United States Department of Agriculture’s regulatory responsibilities and approval of lab-grown meat will be a major milestone for the lab-grown meat industry. The FDA will oversee the collection and growth of cultured cells, and the USDA will oversee the processing of those cells into meat. But for now, only two companies in the United States have been given the go-ahead to sell cultivated chicken products, and only at a select handful of restaurants. So, it is currently impossible to gauge all the potential issues related to large-scale production of these products.

More issues may surface when the industry starts producing lab-grown meat products at industrial scale and while validating standards and procedures. Similarly, the regulatory agencies, especially the USDA, may find discrepancies in the industry’s records during their verification activities. The USDA ensures that the final product is wholesome, produced in a sanitary environment and is properly labeled before applying its “USDA Inspected and Passed” stamp.

Lab-grown meat, however, does come with a few major health benefits over conventional meat, especially given the pandemic. Because it is grown in controlled conditions and without antibiotics, it could minimize antibiotic resistance, foodborne illnesses and diseases transmitted by animals.

Author Philip Lymbery recently predicted in Time magazine that “cultivated meat could secure 10% of the meat market by 2030 and as much as 35% by 2040.”

There are no signs that lab-grown meat will entirely replace conventional meat. It could one day reduce the total number of animals slaughtered. But some scientists say that not everyone in the cultured meat industry understands that how costly the construction of large-size facilities and biomanufacturing techniques could be. A new era of abundant and cheap lab-grown meat may not be as rapidly approaching as some people think.

Mohammad Abdullah is a veterinarian and retired deputy district manager for the U.S Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service. He lives in Lee’s Summit.