Even if meat consumption is decreasing in developed countries, its global consumption is increasing because consumers are generally unwilling to reduce their meat consumption, in particular in developing countries such as in China, India, and Russia ( 1). The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has forecast that in 2050, 70% more food will be needed to fulfill the demand of the growing population, which is a great challenge due to resource and arable land limitations.
The global population, 7.3 billion today, is expected to surpass 9 billion by 2050. Introduction: Context Of Animal Farming Today Indeed, religious authorities are still debating the question of whether in vitro meat is Kosher or Halal (e.g., compliant with Jewish or Islamic dietary laws). Finally, we discussed in this review the nebulous status of cultured meat from a religious point of view. However, some animals will still have to be reared to harvest cells for the production of in vitro meat. Ethically, cultured meat aims to use considerably fewer animals than conventional livestock farming. Consumer acceptance will be strongly influenced by many factors and consumers seem to dislike unnatural food. Cultured meat will have to compete with other meat substitutes, especially plant-based alternatives. However, more criteria need to be taken into account for a comparison with current meat production. Regarding environmental issues, the potential advantages of cultured meat for greenhouse gas emissions are a matter of controversy, although less land will be used compared to livestock, ruminants in particular. Likewise, the control of its nutritional composition is still unclear, especially for micronutrients and iron.
On the other hand, with this high level of cell multiplication, some dysregulation is likely as happens in cancer cells. Unlike conventional meat, cultured muscle cells may be safer, without any adjacent digestive organs. Although these are not yet known, we speculated on the potential health benefits and drawbacks of cultured meat. It is also almost impossible to reproduce the diversity of meats derived from various species, breeds and cuts. Indeed, in terms of technical issues, research is still required to optimize cell culture methodology. The main conclusion is that no major advances were observed despite many new publications.
This review aims to update the current knowledge on this subject by focusing on recent publications and issues not well described previously.
To satisfy the increasing demand for food by the growing human population, cultured meat (also called in vitro, artificial or lab-grown meat) is presented by its advocates as a good alternative for consumers who want to be more responsible but do not wish to change their diet.