Meat from the lab? Many questions still open!
In vitro meat represents a new era in meat production. It should be more sustainable, free from animal suffering and healthier. While the conventional production of meat is coming under increasing social pressure, plant-based alternatives are booming. On the other hand, start-ups in particular are working on getting meat and fish from the laboratory ready for the market in a timely manner. To do this, they multiply the cells of different animal species in the bioreactor to produce products such as chicken nuggets, salmon sushi or burger patties. This works well on a small scale, but there is still a long way to go to large-scale production. It may therefore take some time before cell-derived meat and fish are available on the EU market. In addition, the products fall under the Novel Food Regulation and are therefore subjected to a risk assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) as part of the approval process - a process that can be lengthy under certain circumstances. No application for approval has yet been received by the EU Commission. In addition, it will depend to a large extent on consumer acceptance whether cell-based meat and fish products will be able to at least partially satisfy the hunger for animal protein. And although studies indicate that in-vitro meat and fish perform better than conventional production in many environmental and climate-related factors, it will probably only be possible to measure how high the greenhouse gas emissions actually are when the first large production plants are commissioned.
There is more information on the subject in two new texts on the website of the Federal Center for Nutrition (BZfE). They not only provide facts and background information on the current status of developments in in vitro meat and fish, but also give insights into the innovative companies and the motivation of their founders:
https://www.bzfe.de/nachhaltiger-konsum/orientierung-beim-einkauf/fleisch-aus-dem-labor/
Britta Klein, www.bzfe.de
