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Hey guys! On this lovely FriYAY I would like to talk to you all about lab-grown meat, a particular interest of mine. 

It can be tricky to figure out the most green way to eat. Some sources I’ve read say that vegetarianism is the way to go, others warn against it. However, it is a universally agreed fact that the production of red meat is not good for the environment, contributing to 14-18% of global greenhouse emissions, deforestation and water pollution. 

For this reason, some have turned to lab-grown meat to quench their hunger for a traditional burger. This may sound crazy; it certainly did to me at first. How do you make something from nothing?

I’ll try to break it down in the simplest terms possible. Stem cells are taken from animals like cows or pigs and then grown into big slabs of meat in bioreactors, where they are fed nutrients like fats and proteins with no animals harmed in the process.

This may not sound like a very tasty meal, but due to advancements, lab-grown meat has proved to be almost indistinguishable in taste to regular meat. 

It seems like a win-win situation. You get a tasty steak and the climate isn’t harmed. Alas, like many things these days, there are some unfortunate side effects to lab-grown meat. 

For one, lab-grown meat isn’t totally carbon-free. The advanced technological processes used to grow meat require large amounts of energy and it is estimated that making one kilo of cultured meat produces 2.01 kg of CO2.

Also, lab-grown meat is not cheap at the moment. It is estimated that it will cost $100 per kilo to produce cultivated meat. In a world overcome with poverty, this is simply not a feasible solution for many. 

Perhaps the most concerning aspect of lab-grown meat is that it is not always as guilt-free as we thought. Many cell-based meat companies rely on a special serum called fetal bovine serum (FBS) which is the “blood of unborn cow fetuses, extracted from their mothers after slaughter,” a byproduct of animal slaughter. Of course, there are alternatives to using FBS, but they are extremely expensive— around $400 per liter.

Overall though, lab-grown meat does seem to be a valuable innovation to solving our climate crisis. Cultured meat has been found to use up to 96% fewer greenhouse emissions and 98% less land use in comparison to typical meat production, according to an Oxford study. Hopefully, new technology will continue to lower the cost of lab-grown meat and make cultivation more efficient and ethical.

Who knows where all this could end up in the future. Maybe ten years from now McDonald’s will only serve lab-grown burgers and Chick-fil-A will sell fake nuggets. Whatever may happen, I’m open to and excited to see the possibilities of this new invention.

Elena, signing OUT.