The partnership between Tel Aviv-based SuperMeat and the German poultry company PHW Group marks a important milestone for the nascent clean meat industry. It is also the latest sign that global meat industry players—well aware of a growing interest among consumers for alternative protein sources—are prepared to coalesce around new food technologies to get cost-competitive cell-cultured meat out of the laboratory and into the grocery store.
Cell-cultured “clean” meat is grown by extracting cells from an animal and then growing those cells in a bioreactor filled with a high-tech nutrient-dense liquid. The cells feed on the liquid and proliferate, producing chicken meat that’s molecularly identical to conventional meat without having ever slaughtered an animal. Some early research has shown that, theoretically, clean meat operations could release 98% less greenhouse gas than conventional farming. They would also use 99% less land and 96% less water. [...]
To be sure, there are a lot of complex questions to answer as clean meat makers prepare to get a product ready for the commercial marketplace, including figuring out which government agencies will regulate its safety and how it will be labeled. Dairy producers in the US and Europe have complained that soy, cashew, and almond companies label their liquid products as “milk.” It’s anticipated by some that clean meat might face similar complaints from certain corners of the meat industry, particularly from farmers and ranchers.
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