Why in the news?
U.S. regulators for the first time have approved the sale of chicken made from animal cells for human consumption.
What is "making meat in the lab"?
1. A laboratory-based production technique that uses stem cells of a living animal for growing meat in a controlled environment.
2. The cells are grown in steel tanks and shaped like cutlets & sausages before being sold in the market.
What is the need for Lab-grown-meat?
1. Animals are killed for flesh- highlights Animal Cruelty
· ~50 billion chickens are raised for meat every year across the world
· ~136 million chickens are killed each day worldwide.
2. High environmental impact
· 15% of the Greenhouse gas emissions are caused due to poultry farming.
Advantages of Cultivated meat?
1. Reduces Carbon emissions to a greater extent of ~15% of total GHG emissions.
2. Helps in Land- & water-use optimisation
3. Zero animal cruelty thus becoming an animal-friendly method.
4. Ensures food security
5. Healthier for the consumer - cultivated meat has less fat, zero cholesterol and saturated fats.
6. Cheaper protein diet than conventional meat.
What are the challenges ahead?
1. Consumer acceptance in terms of taste, texture and appearance.
2. High cost at least for a short term till achieving mass production + high costs imposed by the quality control.
3. Requirement of high-quality cells, suitable growth medium and other resources.
4. Uncertainties associated with the cultivated meat.
What is the status in India?
1. The Department of Biotechnology offered a grant to the Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology, Hyderabad for culturing meat in the lab from animal cells, which was successfully achieved.
2. Few private labs in India are also producing cultured meat.
