Abstract
Cultured meat is cellular tissue grown from animal cells under strictly controlled conditions in a bioreactor within a laboratory setting. This production system has been advocated by several environmental and animal rights activists for certain perceived advantages over conventional meat production. Some of these advantages, although yet to be proven experimentally and in an industrial setup, give cultured meat an ethical and environmental superiority over farm-produced meat. However, recent research results have challenged the environmental benefits of cultured meat and clearly indicate the requirement for further research in the area before branding cultured meat as clean and humane. Nevertheless, this new way of producing meat seems likely to reduce the animal suffering associated with meat production. The cost of production is still prohibitive, and consumer acceptance of the product is still uncertain. The scale of production and the ability to produce intact meat cuts are the current biggest challenges facing cultured meat. These issues will require a great deal of research from all stakeholders involved in the supply chain to bring cultured meat to the shelves of retails.