UPSC Express

In focus: Clean Meat

Introduction

• Clean meat or synthetic meat or lab-grown meat is a term used for transgenic meat prepared ex-vivo in the laboratory.
• The stem cells taken out of the body of the animals are cultured in a petri dish giving rise to cell-based cultured meat.

Advantages

• Equivalent
  • Clean meat is equivalent to its conventional counterpart in terms of nutrition, taste, smell and texture.
• Animal welfare
  • Because of the difference in production technique, clean meat can end animal slaughter and thus ensure animal welfare.
• Reduces carbon foot print
  • Clean meat requires far less resources compared to animal rearing including land, water, fodder etc and thus reducing carbon footprint.
• Fight anti-biotic resistance
  • Clean meat can completely ward of rampant use of anti-biotics used in animal rearing and thus help fight antibiotic resistance.
• Fortification of food
  • Lab-cultured meat can further be genetically modified to augment its nutritional content and thus help in food fortification.
• Waste management
  • Clean meat eliminates the need for waste management that is a major area of concern in slaughter houses.
• Food security
  • Clean meat is potential solution for nutritional security of population.
• Fight Climate change
  • By significantly reducing methane emissions in animal rearing, clean meat can alleviate climate change to some extent.
• Sustainable food systems
  • By creating a source for affordable proteins, clean meat holds potential for sustainable food system.