Category: Cellular agriculture

Cultivated meat production begins with a cell sample, which is then fed a nutrient-rich media to promote growth. Understanding what are the chemicals in lab-grown meat requires exploring the complex composition of this media, as well as the materials used for structure and flavor enhancement.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), terminology for artificial meat includes cultivated, cell-based, and cultured meat, among others. This diverse vocabulary reflects a rapidly evolving food technology landscape and the various ways to describe protein produced without slaughtering animals.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, global food production must increase by 70% by 2050 to meet the needs of a growing population. One innovative solution emerging to meet this challenge is cellular foods, a category of products made by cultivating cells and microorganisms rather than raising animals or growing crops conventionally.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given a safety clearance to lab-grown meat for the first time, marking a significant milestone for the industry. While this initial regulatory step indicates that cultivated meat is okay to eat, many consumers have questions about its health impacts, nutritional value, and long-term safety.

According to a 2023 report, investments in fermentation and cell-culture protein production methods have reached over $3 billion, highlighting the explosive growth of lab-grown food technology. This rapid innovation means that it is now possible to artificially create milk, moving beyond traditional animal-based production methods.