Animal Welfare Implications of Lab-Grown Meat

Cultivated meat technology aims to produce animal protein without slaughter, potentially transforming the welfare landscape of food production if it achieves commercial scale.

Key Facts

Cultivated meat is produced by growing animal muscle cells in bioreactors without the animal
Regulatory approval has been granted for cultivated chicken in the US and Singapore
Current costs remain high but have fallen from USD 300,000 per kilogram to below USD 100
Fetal bovine serum has been used in cultivation media, though alternatives are being developed

Welfare Considerations

Cultivated meat has transformative welfare potential if it achieves commercial scale. By decoupling animal protein production from animal lives, it could eliminate the suffering of billions of farm animals annually. However, current technology still involves animal-derived inputs including fetal bovine serum, though plant-based and synthetic media are advancing. The welfare calculus also depends on scale-up economics and consumer adoption. At present, cultivated meat is an important long-term welfare intervention to support while conventional farm animal welfare improvements remain urgently needed in the near term.

What You Can Do

Support organizations advancing cultivated meat technology through donations or purchasing
Advocate for government research funding for cultivated meat as a welfare and sustainability investment
Try cultivated meat products when they become available in your market
Reduce conventional meat consumption while supporting the transition to cultivated alternatives