Madison Obata

Associate Editor

Loyola University Chicago School of Law, JD 2026

Human organs grown in labs, lab-grown diamonds, lab-grown plants, and now lab-grown meat. Companies like Upside Foods and GOOD Meat are growing meat from animal cells. Companies have developed a cell line to produce high-quality meat, grow and feed the cells with a “blend of nutrients,” and in two to three weeks, meat is ready to be cultivated and molded into the shape of meat, like a chicken filet. Now, lab-grown meat is commercialized and has been approved by the Agriculture Department for production and sale. Although it could be a few years until lab-produced meat is in grocery stores, regulations need to be approved and put into place just like slaughterhouse meat.

Raising lab-grown animal cells

Instead of raising animals in the traditional way, like on a farm, companies start by sourcing the cells from living animals, recently slaughtered animals, or fertilized chicken eggs. The cells are then examined to find the cells that will produce the healthiest and most delicious meat. The selected cells are then added to the lab’s cell bank or vessels where the cells can continue to divide and reproduce in a controlled environment.

After the cells are grown, the cells are harvested and combined with other components like amino acids, minerals, vitamins, and other plant-based proteins. The cells will then go through a lab’s quality assurance process. Finally, lab-grown meat products will go through extrusion, which will mold the cells into shapes that consumers can recognize using technology, such as 3D printing.

Concerns with lab-cultured meat

Through the sourcing process, companies advertise that the way cells are harvested is cruelty-free. However, there are concerns about the process. The cells can be extracted from living animals, which is typically done through a biopsy and sometimes using the same animal. Lab-grown meat requires fetal bovine serum (FBS), which is taken from the blood of cow fetuses, and is often used as a growth medium. The process to extract FBS includes removing a fetus from a slaughtered pregnant cow, inserting a needle to the fetus’s heart, and extracting FBS. However, as the process has developed over the years, stem cells have been utilized instead of FBS.

During the growing phase, the animal cells could involve genetic engineering injections, but the process is not disclosed because it is confidential and a business secret according to the companies producing the meat. Since the processes are not patented, they lack transparency because the labs follow the FDA’s cell culture guidelines, which are not applicable to food.

It is debated whether or not lab-grown meat is vegetarian or not. Some people say it is not vegetarian because the meat still comes from animal cells. However, lab-grown meat has been advertised as vegetarian or vegan because the meat is grown like a plant similar to other meat substitutes.

Benefits of lab-cultured meat

One of the biggest benefits to lab-grown meat is sustainability. The emissions and waste from farms, such as methane, take up almost a third of the emissions that are damaging the earth. Reducing the ecological impact of raising animals and meat production can help ensure that there is a sustainable food source and help combat climate change. The agriculture sector is the second-largest global emitter and the emissions come from cattle gases, fuel on farms, and field burning. Not to mention there is deforestation and land use changes when it comes to farm-raised meat. Along with land use, water use on agricultural land for animals, such as beef, can total up to 15,000 liters of water.

Arguably, another benefit to lab-grown meat are the health benefits. The cells are fed with proteins that provide benefits like tofu, which includes fewer calories, less fat, and higher protein content. There is more control over what goes into the meat and how to modify with things such as amino acids and vitamins.

Lastly, if there are proper regulations put in place, the production of lab-grown meat is economically beneficial to consumers and safer from contamination. With a recent increase in outbreaks with bacteria in farm-raised meat, such as salmonella, containing the way the meat is grown in a sanitized and sterile laboratory is a realistic alternative.

The future of lab-grown meat regulations

Now that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced to oversee the production of “human food products derived from the cells of livestock and poultry,” there is a reassurance that there is safety and inspection protocols put in place. However, there needs to be more regulatory protections productions that go beyond the standard of a laboratory and apply the same standards from farms to ensure transparency.

Currently, even with multiple sources reporting on how the cells are extracted, there is nothing substantial. The USDA and FDA need to enforce transparency with this very new practice, especially if there are plans for mass production. Like most things in a capitalist economy, the worry could also be centered around what happens if lab-grown meat is commercialized and what will happen with quality and ethical concerns.