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As HUSH told us last year, the idea of synthesized meat isn’t a new one—it was first pioneered over 85 years ago. Now, almost four years after the first-ever cultured burger in 2013, numerous start-up companies are looking to enable mass production of cell-cultured meat, also known as clean meat, or (less charitably) shmeat.
Clean meat is produced by extracting live cells from a live animal (usually a cow at this stage in the game) and growing them into a tissue and then a muscle. Producers tout that if it ever reaches the grand scale they envision, the industry could produce meat with no need for antibiotics or hormones, no senseless animal suffering, and 90% less greenhouse gas emissions. Even if a hypothetical version of the clean meat industry is only a fraction of that envisioned by its supporters, it could be a win-win for the environment and consumers.
 While producers have only managed a slightly off-putting burger and some shmeatballs, cell-cultured chicken, turkey, and even milk and eggs are possible. Imagining a clean meat industry seems to raise more questions than answers, though. Supporters claim shrinking the livestock industry could free up valuable land for other types of farming, but how simple would it be to “convert” this land, if it’s possible at all? What happens to the existing livestock? Do we care for domesticated animals for a generation then let them go extinct?
Perhaps the biggest question facing clean meat in the US is its regulation, and which agency will do the regulating. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) oversees meat, eggs, and poultry, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees food additive safety and “biologics,” which includes products made from human tissues and cells. Some see clean meat as straddling both agencies. According to a White House memo, the government has been working to clarify regulation of biotechnology products since 2015. Given that the USDA and FDA guidelines were last updated in 1992, it seems like the time has come. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has also been at work on enhancing regulation of biotech products since the middle of 2016.
While it might seem far-fetched to even be discussing widespread clean meat production, it might be closer than it seems. Clean meat start-up Memphis Meats hopes to be selling cultured meatballs, sausages, and hot dogs within the next five years, and clean-dairy company Perfect Day is shooting for providing cow-free dairy products by the end of this year.
Of course, most consumers know that none of this really matters until we actually taste clean meat and find it a close-enough alternative to the real thing. Until that day comes it’s all speculation.
Image credit: Mike Licht / CC BY 2.0
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