Researchers at UC Davis discover that the harm from cultured meat is 25 times bigger than from natural beef products.

Lab-grown meat, also known as cultured meat, has been hailed as a potential solution to the environmental challenges posed by traditional meat production. However, recent research conducted by the University of California, Davis, raises concerns about the environmental impact of lab-grown meat compared to normal beef in retail stores. 

The new study – which focused on the energy requirements and greenhouse gas emissions associated with different stages of production – found that the environmental footprint of lab-grown meat could be 25 times higher than that of beef sold in grocery stores. 

One of the main issues researchers have identified is the use of highly refined growth media, which are necessary for cell multiplication in a laboratory setting. Currently, these growth media are similar to those used in pharmaceutical production, requiring extensive purification.

This reliance on pharmaceutical-grade ingredients increases resource consumption and contributes to a higher global warming potential for lab-grown meat.

The researchers propose that transitioning from pharma-grade to food-grade ingredients could significantly reduce the environmental impact of cultured meat. If companies can successfully develop and implement this transition, lab-grown meat's global warming potential could range from 80% lower to 26% higher than conventional beef production.

However, shifting away from pharmaceutical-grade ingredients presents a significant technological challenge for the industry. It requires advancements in both performance and cost reduction of cell culture media. Researchers acknowledge that while reducing the environmental impact of cultured meat is possible in the future, it will require substantial technical progress and, of course, huge investments.

Despite these findings, the researchers and cultured meat companies are not giving up on the potential of lab-grown meat. Many startups in the field – most notably Upside Foods and Good Meat, which recently were cleared for sale of cultured meat in stores – are working on scaling up their operations and exploring ways to combine cultured meat with plant-based ingredients to enhance their competitiveness. 

The UC Davis Cultivated Meat Consortium, a multidisciplinary group of researchers, is dedicated to developing the technology required for the transition from pharma-grade to food-grade cultured meat, and to establish suitable cell lines for meat growth and finding ways to enhance the structure of cultured meat.

The research was funded by the UC Davis Innovation Institute for Food and Health and the National Science Foundation Growing Convergence Research.