By Thessabel Chang, Y12
A monumental advancement in technology has recently surfaced across the food industry. Singapore has just approved the first sale of lab grown meat. The meat has officially passed a safety review by the Singapore Food Agency, which opens an extensive amount of doors for meat to be produced without the killing of livestock. The first on sale lab grown meat will be served to consumers in the form of “chicken bites” produced by the US company Eat Just.
Background
At the moment, 130 million chickens and 4 million pigs are slaughtered every day for the sole purpose being their meat.
The science behind it
The science and technology behind the lab grown chicken bites operates on a cellular level. The cells for Eat Just’s poultry are grown in a 1,200-litre bioreactor, then combined with plant-based ingredients. To start the poultry process, cells from a cell bank will be taken from biopsies of live animals, not requiring the slaughter of any animals (chickens). The plants will be supplying the nutrients to the growing cells. This process requires foetal bovine serum, extracted from foetal blood; however, a large percent of the serum is removed before consumption. The production process will transition to the use of a plant-based serum as time goes on.
Availability
Being that the product is getting the latest news coverage, the product will be highly in demand, however the initial availability will be limited. The chicken bites will be available for purchase at a higher price , sold in a restaurant located in Singapore. The price of these chicken bites are higher relative to conventional chicken until mass production begins, vouched by the company EatJust.
The relevance
Numerous scientific studies have shown that meat consumption is above the socially optimal level in high income countries, that is resulting in negative effects on the environment and themselves. Therefore, cutting the meat consumption completely through the lab grown chicken is essential in tackling global issues ; health risks and the climate crisis.
Concluding with a statement from Josh Tetrick of Eat Just:
“I think the approval is one of the most significant milestones in the food industry in the last handful of decades. It’s an open door and it’s up to us and other companies to take that opportunity. My hope is this leads to a world in the next handful of years where the majority of meat doesn’t require killing a single animal or tearing down a single tree.”
