a Canadian Meat Business exclusive by Scott Taylor
But when we asked him about the concept of “in vitro,” or “cultured meat,” he had no answer.
“I know little or nothing about these developments,” Dickson said. “I don’t want to comment on them without doing a lot of research.”
Dickson was not alone. While the idea of in vitro, cultured or what’s called, “clean meat,” by its supporters, is not new, the fact that it is now closer to market than ever before seems to have come as a surprise to some people in the beef, pork and poultry industries in Canada.
According to Uma Valeti, a co-founder and the chief executive officer of San Francisco-based Memphis Meats, cultured meat has been on the minds of food scientists for decades, but only now, thanks to the help of financing from people such as Sergey Brin, Richard Branson and Bill Gates, does there appear to be a realistic date in which to get the product to market.
“We’re not there yet,” Valeti acknowledged, “but in just a few years, we expect to be selling protein-packed pork, beef and chicken that tastes identical to conventionally raised meat but that is cleaner, safer and all-around better than meat from animals grown on farms.
“We identify cells that have the capability to renew themselves. We breed those cells that are the most effective and growing — just like a farmer would do with animals.”
“European Union closed the door on imports of hormone-treated beef in 1989”
If true, that could be either the end of cattle ranches and pig farms or simply become an extension of a meat industry that has never been busier, more successful or with more products in demand that it has today.
On Labor Day Weekend, the Third International Conference on Cultured Meat was held at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. The goal of the project at Maastricht is simple:
“The world faces critical food shortages in the near future as demand for meat is expected to increase by two-thirds, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
“The production of meat through tissue culture could have immense effects in reducing the environmental impact of our agriculture system, minimizing threats to public health, addressing issues of animal welfare, and providing food security.
“Cultured Meat represents the crucial first step in finding a sustainable alternative to meat production.”
Meanwhile, Maastricht University’s scientists describe Cultured Meat this way:
“Cultured Beef is created by painlessly harvesting muscle cells from a living cow,” the Dutch scientists explained. “Scientists then feed and nurture the cells so they multiply to create muscle tissue, which is the main component of the meat we eat. It is biologically exactly the same as the meat tissue that comes from a cow.
“The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that the demand for meat is going to increase by more than two-thirds in the next 40 years and current production methods are not sustainable. In the near future both meat and other staple foods are likely to become expensive luxury items, thanks to the increased demand on crops for meat production, unless we find a sustainable alternative.
“Livestock contributes to global warming through unchecked releases of methane, a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide. The increase in demand will significantly increase levels of methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide and cause loss of biodiversity. Cultured Beef is likely a more sustainable option that will change the way we eat and think about food forever.”
In a study undertaken in 2011 by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, it was estimated that the demand for meat in North America will increase by eight percent between 2011 and 2020, in Europe by seven percent and in Asia by 56 percent. Meanwhile, that same study calculated that growing meat in labs would cut down on the land required to produce beef, poultry and pork by 99 percent and reduce the associated need for water by 90 percent. What’s more, it found that a pound of lab-created meat would produce much less polluting greenhouse-gas emissions than is produced by cows, pigs, chickens and turkeys.
Sounds great, of course, but there are still two important questions – what does it taste like and how much does it cost?
Source: Meatbusiness
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