Is lab grown meat vegan? USDA greenlights productions of cell-based chicken

Recent years have seen a rise in the popularity of vegan diets as a more sustainable and purportedly ethical alternative to eating slaughtered meat. On Wednesday, June 21, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) formally licensed two California-based companies (Upside Foods and Good Meat) to cultivate and sell lab-grown chicken, taking into account the changing preferences of consumers.

This approval allows consumers to consume animal protein sourced directly from lab-grown cells rather than having to eat protein sourced from slaughter. However, because artificially produced meat is still meat, the new product is not vegetarian. This slaughter meat substitute is likewise not plant-based.

A report by AFP stated that the Food and Drug Administration had cleared the companies on safety grounds back in November 2022. Earlier this month, the USDA also reviewed and cleared the product labels to make sure that they were not misleading.

According to AFP, the meat will be grown by harvesting cells from living animals or fertilized eggs, to create a cell bank that could potentially last for decades in a state of deep freeze. The lab-grown meat will be prepared and stored in steel tanks while being provided with similar nutrients to animal food. Weeks later the product would be reaped from the tanks and molded into different shapes like sausages and filets.

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Lab-grown meat and veganism: A complicated equation

The question of 'is lab-grown meat vegan' is a rather complicated one. There are a variety of subgroups of vegans within the community, each with their own motivations for adopting the lifestyle. There are individuals who abstain from eating meat because they believe that killing animals for sustenance is unethical. However, there are those who are entirely opposed to animal protein consumption.

Ella Marshall, the Vegan Society's deputy trademark manager, said to Wired reporter John Wiley in an email that such a product could not be trademarked vegan since "animals are still used in its production." According to John, a vegan himself, lab-produced meat will lead to a conflict among vegans. He wrote:

"Conflict will arise between vegans whose philosophy is defined by the simple avoidance of animal products and those who believe in a more radical restructuring of our relationship with the animal world."

Notably, there are many arguments against the lab-grown alternative. Some point out that it is "speciest" and "unnatural" criticizing the idea of humans seeing themselves as superior to other animals which will allegedly lead to more exploitation. Others argue that this measure will just increase meat consumption, and thus conventional meat production.

John Wiley put forth a strong argument for the existence of lab-grown meat.

"It directly addresses the biggest problem of all: the mass slaughter of animals in factory farms," he wrote.

Putting aside philosophical questions, the lab-grown product only requires stem cells from a single animal that does not die in the process to replace the slaughter of millions of animals to produce the same quantity of food.

Although proponents of lab-grown animal protein suggest that the alternative is better for the environment, a University of California research says the opposite. According to non-peer-reviewed research, this is due to the large-scale energy requirements and greenhouse gas emissions.

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But, even as the controversy rages on, orders for lab-grown meat are already pouring in, with Upside Foods processing its first order from San Francisco eatery Bar Crenn, and Good Meat's first batch going to star chef Jose Andres.