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What’s going on with cell-based meat
Will it actually catch on?

For the first part of our mini-series on plant and cell-based meat alternatives, check out my profile on plant-based meat alternatives earlier this week.
If there’s ever been a topic I’ve longed to explore in more depth, it is this one. Plant-based meat will never be the real thing, but it intrigues me. Mimicking the taste, smell and feel of beef, chicken or salmon is a noble effort, one which several companies are close to replicating. But no has quite cracked it yet.
Cell-based meat, however, doesn’t share this problem. The only obstacle? How long will it take to finally hit our dinner plates. Many companies are hell bent on making it happen.
Regardless of your own moral or ethical reasons for liking or disliking cell-based meat, it’s worth exploring where this new food type is going.
What is cell-based meat?
“Cultivated meat, also known as cultured meat, is genuine animal meat (including seafood and organ meats) that is produced by cultivating animal cells directly. This production method eliminates the need to raise and farm animals for food. Cultivated meat is made of the same cell types arranged in the same or similar structure as animal tissues, thus replicating the sensory and nutritional profiles of conventional meat.”
How is it made?
“The manufacturing process begins with acquiring and banking stem cells from an animal. These cells are then grown in bioreactors (known colloquially as cultivators) at high densities and volumes. Similar to what happens inside an animal’s body, the cells are fed an oxygen-rich cell culture medium made up of basic nutrients such as amino acids, glucose, vitamins, and inorganic salts, and supplemented with proteins and other growth factors.”
Who’s doing what?
The list here is long and full of potential.
The global leader has to be San Francisco startup Eat Just, as they hold the distinction of being the only company to sell their cultured meat — through their subsidiary, Good Meat — commercially (in a restaurant in Singapore).
Then there’s Upside Foods, which was the first company in the world to receive a “No Questions” letter from the US Food and Drug Administration for their cultured chicken. This signals their product is safe to eat. I’ll post a video of their breakthrough at the end.
Locally in Vancouver, we have CULT Food Science, the first publicly traded corporation in North America to invest in cellular culture companies. They have 18 companies in their portfolio, and Eat Just is one of them.
There’s several others in Canada advancing this field, most notably Evolved Meats in Toronto. They’re looking at breaking some of the logistical barriers by bringing down costs and scalability.
The pivot
One of the biggest challenges this sector faces is the cost and adaptation of consumers to eating cell-based meat. Right now costs are too high. Some estimates suggest that prices could drop to around $20 to $25 per pound. Simple math shows it’s considerably higher than anything you’d see at a grocery store, even at Whole Foods.
Then there’s the adaptation dilemma. How will consumers react to eating meat grown in a lab?
As first reported by Vox in October, hybrid models, where both plant and cell-based products are linked together, have given hope for those who believe adoption by consumers is possible. Hybrid vehicles bridging from gas to electric are a perfect example of customers slowly adapting to change.
Change is a difficult process, especially at this scale, but it's definitely possible.
Jamie’s view
We’re on the verge of replicating every type of meat and seafood. The power of this technology is staggering, not only economically but environmentally, with new forms of agriculture no longer centred on animal welfare and suffering.
But there’s the “meat paradox” that parlyzes our viewpoints, the psychological conflict when our recognition of animal rights, and the horrible effects of meat production on animals, clashes with our seemingly insatiable desire to eat them.
Ultimately, however one feels about animal welfare or the cost associated, development of this field shows real promise. This humble writer believes it’s highly doubtful it will fully change our agricultural landscape. But in time, it could prove to be a unique model for food distribution. Government intervention of some kind will have to happen if truly large-scale adoption were to happen.
But if the product ends up tasting exactly as it should, then the moral argument might be moot and consumers may flock to it.
The local angle
To bridge this topic, for next Tuesday’s edition, I’ll have questions and answers from our community of restaurants and chefs. Several restaurants currently sell plant-based meat on their menus and understanding their approach and feelings on the issue should prove to be interesting. Plus you will discover a few new places to check out!
In the meantime, check out this video from Upside Foods.