Page 28 - aruba-today-20190710

A28 SCIENCE
Wednesday 10 July 2019

Under a microscope: Startups grow meat in lab, face scrutiny

By TERENCE CHEA A report released in June becoming a commercial cultured fish and seafood. Safety. “It will be important
Associated Press by consulting firm A.T. Kear- reality because there are It’s produced cell-based for the public that this be
EMERYVILLE, Calif. (AP) — well regulated,” Hanson
Uma Valeti slices into a said. “Do these really solve
pan-fried chicken cutlet in the environmental prob-
the kitchen of his startup, lem? Do they really solve
Memphis Meats. He sniffs the animal welfare prob-
the tender morsel on his lem? That needs to be part
fork before taking a bite. of the review as well.”
He chews slowly, absorbing If cultured-meat compa-
the taste. nies use genetically modi-
“Our chicken is chicken ... fied cells, they would face
you’ve got to taste it to be- even greater scrutiny from
lieve it,” Valeti says. consumers and govern-
This is no ordinary piece of ment regulators, Hanson
poultry. said.
No chicken was raised or Cell-based meat compa-
slaughtered to harvest the nies also face resistance
meat. from U.S. livestock produc-
It was produced in a labo- ers, who have been lob-
ratory by extracting cells bying states to restrict the
from a chicken and feed- “meat” label to food prod-
ing them in a nutrient broth ucts derived from slaugh-
until the cell culture grew tered animals and have
into raw meat. been raising questions
Memphis Meats, based about the safety, cost and
in Emeryville, California, is environmental effect of
one of a growing number cultured meat.
of startups worldwide that “There’s still many, many
are making cell-based or In this photo taken March 1, 2019, lab technician Ismael Montanez points to fish cells on screen unknowns about these
cultured meat. in the laboratory of Finless Foods, a startup that’s developing cell-based fish in Emeryville, Calif. cell-based products,” said
They want to offer an alter- Associated Press Eric Mittenthal, vice presi-
native to traditional meat dent for sustainability at the
production that they say ney predicts that by 2040, many hurdles we have to versions of salmon, carp North American Meat Insti-
is damaging the environ- cultured meat will make up tackle,” said Ricardo San and sea bass, and it’s work- tute.
ment and causing unnec- 35 percent of meat con- Martin, research director of ing on bluefin tuna, a pop- “We really don’t know if it’s
essary harm to animals, but sumed worldwide, while the alternative meat pro- ular species that is over- something consumers will
they are far from becom- plant-based alternatives gram at the University of fished and contains high accept from a taste per-
ing mainstream and face will compose 25 percent. California, Berkeley. levels of mercury. spective. We don’t know if
pushback from livestock “The large-scale livestock “We don’t know if consum- The company has invited it’s going to be affordable.”
producers. industry is viewed by many ers are going to buy this or guests to sample its cell- Uma Valeti at Memphis
“You are ultimately going as an unnecessary evil,” not.” based fish cakes. Meats said he wants to
to continue the choice of the report says. As global demand for “The ocean is a very frag- help educate people
eating meat for many gen- “With the advantages meat grows, supporters say ile ecosystem, and we are about the benefits of cell-
erations to come without of novel vegan meat re- cell-based protein is more really driving it to the brink based meats and eventu-
putting undue stress on the placements and cultured sustainable than traditional of collapse,” CEO Michael ally open up its production
planet,” said Valeti, a for- meat over conventionally meat because it doesn’t Selden said. facility to show people how
mer cardiologist who co- produced meat, it is only a require the land, water and “By moving human con- its meat is made.
founded Memphis Meats matter of time before meat crops needed to raise live- sumption of seafood out The company is focused on
in 2015 after seeing the replacements capture a stock — a major source of of the ocean and onto reducing the cost of cul-
power of stem cells to treat substantial market share.” greenhouse gas emissions. land and creating it in this tured meat and producing
disease. But first cultured meat must Many consumers would cleaner way, we can basi- larger quantities.
The company, which also overcome significant chal- love to eat meat that cally do something that’s A plate of chicken that
has produced cell-grown lenges, including bringing doesn’t require killing ani- better for everybody.” used to cost tens of thou-
beef and duck, has at- down the exorbitant cost mals, said Brian Spears, The emerging industry sands of dollars to produce
tracted investments from of production, showing who founded a San Fran- moved a step closer to can now be made for less
food giants Cargill and Ty- regulators it’s safe and en- cisco startup called New market in March when the than $100, Valeti said.
son Foods as well as billion- ticing consumers to take a Age Meats that served its U.S. Department of Agricul- Memphis Meats hopes to
aires Richard Branson and bite. cell-based pork sausages ture and the Food and Drug sell its cell-based meat
Bill Gates. “We’re a long way off from to curious foodies at a tast- Administration announced within the next two years,
ing last September. plans to jointly oversee the starting with restaurants,
“People want meat. They production and labeling of then moving into grocery
don’t want slaughter,” cell-based meat. stores, assuming it passes
Spears said. Food-safety advocates will USDA and FDA inspections.
“So we make slaughter- be watching to ensure the “We’re actually preserving
free meat, and we know agencies provide rigorous the choice of eating meat
there’s a massive market oversight and protect peo- for people,” Valeti said.
for people that want deli- ple from bacterial contam- “Instead of saying, ‘Give up
cious meat that doesn’t re- ination and other health eating meat or eat a meat
quire animal slaughter.” threats, said Jaydee Han- alternative,’ we’re saying
Finless Foods, another start- son, policy director at the continue eating the meat
up in Emeryville, is making nonprofit Center for Food that you love.”q