A veterinarian clarifies
Artificially produced meat for food or pet food is publicly causing discussions. Dr. med. Vet. Anna Magdalena Naderer, Chief Veterinary Officer of the nationwide veterinary practice network Filu, explains what it is about.
Munich, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Cologne. Animal feed has been available for the first time in Great Britain since February. In the EU, laboratory meat-also known as in-vitro meat or Clean Meat-is not yet allowed, but admission procedures are underway. Since cultivated meat in other parts of the world is even approved for human consumption, it will probably appear that it could also be available in Germany and the EU in the future.
In Singapore, for example, chicken meat has been served in restaurants since 2020, which was bred from cell cultures in the laboratory. Laboratory meat is also allowed for human consumption in Israel and large parts of the United States. Within the EU there are currently artificially produced burgers and daisy liver in the approval process. There is still no final decision by the European Commission, but the United Nations' Nutrition and Agriculture Organization (FAO) published a 140-page report on in-vitro meat in 2023. Health aspects were also illuminated. The report states that the health risks of cultivated meat are likely to resemble the known risks of meat from conventional production. With regard to potential allergens, it is assumed that they can probably occur in both types of meat. There should be no credible indications that laboratory meat could trigger tumors.
The assessment that the risks of in vitro meat and real meat are similar is not surprising because in vitro meat is ultimately based on non-artistic animal cells. To make it, a small amount of muscle meat is removed from an animal using a biopsy. New cells are then bred in a bioreactor from the stem cells contained therein. Various nutritional solutions are used – including Fötal's calf serum, which is controversial because of the necessary killing of fetuses. However, there are vegetable alternatives. The cell cultures multiply in the nutrient solution on a carrier frame (animal) Collagen and finally form muscle meat, which is optimized in terms of taste by bred fat cells. Since laboratory meat is based on natural animal cells, its health risks should be comparable to those of conventional meat. Whether it is convincing is an individual decision – both for humans and animals. Since it is ultimately an ethical question whether you consider natural and artificial meat for yourself or your pet, a clear labeling obligation is essential.
Proponents of laboratory meat argue with more sustainable production. In fact, breeding in the laboratory can save resources such as agricultural areas. Some experts also assume that the production is less susceptible to germs than conventional animal husbandry that repeatedly fights against epidemics. However, the production of in-vitro meat is also energy-intensive, which affects its environmental balance. The latter also depends on the type of meat generated and its CO₂ intensity in conventional production. It is also crucial whether renewable energies are used for production in the laboratory.
In summary, it can be said: Artificial meat could be an opportunity to reduce factory farming and the associated ecological footprint. If health risks are excluded, it could be an interesting alternative- both for animal and climate protection.