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This article aims to tackle the query; can fermented foods serve as the ultimate resolution to the hurdles of food sustainability? To provide a comprehensive view of the matter, the following sections will delve into the potential, obstacles, and prospects of fermented foods.
Commencement
Food is indispensable for human survival and welfare, yet it presents notable challenges to the environment, animals, and society. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), animal farming contributes to approximately 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions[i], 26% of global land utilization, 32% of global freshwater usage, and 78% of global agricultural land usage.
Furthermore, animal farming is linked to various moral, health, and food security issues, such as animal distress, zoonotic ailments, antibiotic resistance, and food wastage. In this context, fermented foods emerge as a promising substitute for traditional meat production.
Fermented foods are products generated by culturing animal cells in vitro, rather than from slaughtered animals. The process entails isolating a small sample of cells from a living animal, such as a cow, chicken, or fish, and cultivating them in a bioreactor with a nutrient-rich solution. Subsequently, the cells can be harvested and transformed into various items, such as burgers, nuggets, or fillets. Fermented foods have been praised as a potential remedy to the challenges of food sustainability, owing to the several ecological, ethical, health, and food security advantages they could offer. However, fermented foods also encounter numerous technical, economic, social, and regulatory barriers before gaining widespread availability and acceptance.
The Potential of Fermented Foods
Environmental Influence:
One of the principal advantages of fermented foods is their potential to alleviate the environmental repercussions of animal farming. Several studies have juxtaposed the environmental effects of fermented foods and traditional meat production. Some early studies indicate that fermented foods could substantially diminish greenhouse gas emissions, land utilization, water usage, and pollution from animal farming. For example, a 2011 study[ii] approximated that fermented beef could slash greenhouse gas emissions by 78-96%, land utilization by 99%, and water usage by 82-96%, compared to conventional beef production. Similarly, a 2015 study[iii] anticipated that fermented poultry could curtail greenhouse gas emissions by 54-75%, land utilization by 76-99%, and water usage by 53-96%, in contrast to conventional poultry production.
However, a more recent study[iv] in 2019 employed a more rigorous methodology to compare the emissions of fermented beef to cattle production using a climate model that simulates the different behaviors of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, rather than relying on carbon dioxide equivalent metrics. It has shown that fermented meat emissions, which are primarily carbon dioxide-based, lead to less warming than cattle initially, but this difference diminishes in the long term as methane emissions from cattle production do not accumulate as much as carbon dioxide.
Food Safety and Security:
Another advantage of fermented foods is their potential to enhance animal welfare, food safety, and food security. By manufacturing meat without the need to slaughter animals, fermented foods could avert the agony and demise of billions of animals annually. Furthermore, fermented foods could mitigate the risk of zoonotic ailments, such as avian flu or mad cow disease, and antibiotic resistance, as they could be produced in sterile surroundings without the necessity for antibiotics. Moreover, fermented foods could fortify food security by furnishing a more stable and resilient source of protein that is less susceptible to climatic changes, disease outbreaks, or geopolitical conflicts.
Various companies and products are developing and commercializing fermented foods globally. For instance, a Singapore-based company fabricates fermented chicken nuggets that have been sanctioned for retail by the Singapore Food Agency. A US-based company crafts fermented seafood products from fish cells. An Israel-based company formulates fermented steak from bovine cells. These instances demonstrate that fermented foods are not merely a theoretical concept, but a tangible actuality that is already in progress.
The Obstacles of Fermented Foods
Despite the potential benefits of fermented foods, they also encounter numerous technical, economic, social, and regulatory impediments that need to be surmounted before attaining widespread availability and acceptance. Some of these challenges are:
Technical:
Fermented foods necessitate cutting-edge biotechnology and engineering to fabricate high-quality products on a large scale. Some of the existing constraints encompass exorbitant production expenses, restricted scalability, lack of variety, and consumer perception. For instance, a study approximated that the production cost of fermented beef was roughly $11 per burger in 2015, which is considerably higher than traditional beef prices. Another study reported that the maximum production capacity of fermented poultry was about 1 ton per year in 2019, significantly below the global demand for poultry meat. Another pivotal challenge is that most fermented foods are confined to minced or ground products, such as nuggets or patties, and producing whole cuts, such as steaks or fillets, still presents challenges. Conversely, consumer acceptance of fermented foods varied based on the type of product, the information provided, and the cultural context, with some consumers expressing apprehensions about the flavor, safety, and naturalness of fermented foods.
Economic Aspects:
The economic aspect involves the necessity for cultured foods to rival conventional meat products in regard to price, quality, and accessibility. Factors determining the economic feasibility of cultured foods encompass the expense of inputs such as cells, media, and bioreactors, the effectiveness of production procedures like cell growth, differentiation, and maturation, and the demand and supply of cultured foods in the market. For instance, numerous manufacturers underline to their investors that the media cost accounted for about 55-95% of the total production cost of cultured meat, identifying the reduction in media cost as essential for enhancing the affordability of cultured meat. Another pivotal economic dimension involves augmenting the efficiency of production procedures to minimize the use of energy and greenhouse gas emissions linked with cultured meat, consequently optimizing biophysical parameters like temperature, pH, and oxygen levels to heighten the quality and yield of cultured meat. Many researchers anticipate that the demand for cultured meat would hinge on various factors, including consumer inclinations, income levels, population expansion, and environmental consciousness, while the supply of cultured meat would rely on the extent of innovation, investment, and regulation within the industry.
Societal Implications:
Cultured foods necessitate acquiring social acceptance and trust from diverse stakeholders such as consumers, producers, policymakers, researchers, and activists. Various factors influencing the social acceptance and trust of cultured foods comprise values, beliefs, preferences, knowledge, and culture. For example, consumer research identified four fundamental values shaping consumer attitudes toward cultured meat: naturalness, animal welfare, healthiness, and environmental sustainability. Religious beliefs also exert an influence on the perception of cultured meat among distinct faith groups, alongside cultural preferences impacting the reception of cultured meat in different regions. Additionally, research revealed how knowledge and information impact the willingness to sample cultured meat among varied consumer segments.
Regulatory Aspects:
Regulatory compliance stands as a crucial requirement for cultured foods to ensure their safety, quality, and accurate labeling. Challenges encountered by cultured foods in terms of regulation encompass the absence of precise definitions, the diversity of jurisdictions, and the uncertainty of outcomes. For instance, there is an absence of consensus on how to define cultured meat among different stakeholders, potentially leading to consumer and regulatory confusion. A comparative exploration of how different countries and regions approach the regulation of cultured meat revealed substantial disparities in terms of the regulatory bodies involved, the criteria used, and the timelines adhered to. An array of scenarios may impact the regulatory approval of cultured meat, indicating a multitude of uncertainties and risks throughout the process.
These challenges underscore the intricate and multilayered nature of cultured foods, signifying the presence of numerous trade-offs and uncertainties warranting thorough and meticulous consideration.
Perceptions Regarding Cultured Foods
Given the intricate and varied nature of the subject, it comes as no surprise that diverse stakeholder groups harbor disparate views and viewpoints on cultured foods. These perspectives not only mirror the scientific facts and evidence concerning cultured foods but also embody the values, beliefs, preferences, knowledge, and culture of each stakeholder. Therefore, it proves vital to comprehend these perspectives and their impact on the development and acceptance of cultured foods. Stakeholders expressing their views on cultured foods encompass:
Manufacturers:
These entities are the producers or organizers that manufacture or intend to manufacture cultured foods. They generally favor cultured foods as a profitable opportunity to satisfy the increasing demand for meat while decreasing the environmental impacts and ethical concerns related to animal agriculture. They also strive to enhance the quality and safety of their products by utilizing advanced biotechnology and engineering.
Users:
These individuals consume or plan to consume cultured foods. Their attitudes toward cultured foods are varied and dynamic, depending on their principles, values, preferences, knowledge, and cultural background. Their motivations may stem from various factors, including environmental consciousness, animal welfare, health apprehensions, food security, curiosity, or novelty. They might also possess different levels of receptiveness and willingness to experiment with cultured foods, ranging from enthusiastic to skeptical to resistant.
Legislators:
These individuals establish or influence the regulations and standards that govern cultured foods. They are tasked with ensuring the safety, quality, and labeling of these products, and balancing the interests and requirements of diverse stakeholders. They may encounter a variety of challenges, such as ambiguous definitions, jurisdictional diversity, and unpredictable outcomes. Their objectives and priorities, such as promoting innovation, safeguarding consumers, aiding producers, or preserving traditions, may also diverge.
Scholars:
These individuals engage in scientific or academic research on cultured foods. Their responsibility involves producing and disseminating knowledge and evidence about cultured foods, as well as offering guidance and recommendations for their advancement and acceptance. Their focus may encompass different aspects of cultured foods, such as technical feasibility, environmental impacts, ethical implications, social acceptance, or regulatory frameworks. Their perspectives and opinions on cultured foods may also vary based on their disciplines, methodologies, and values.
Advocates:
These individuals champion or oppose cultured foods based on their principles, beliefs, or ideologies. They hold the capability to sway public opinion and policy on cultured foods by raising consciousness, rallying support, or challenging adversaries. Their agendas and strategies may differ, such as advocating for animal rights, environmental sustainability, food equity, or cultural diversity. Their perspectives and positions on cultured foods are also influenced by their alignment or opposition to them.
These viewpoints demonstrate that cultured foods are not an impartial or objective subject, but a contested and subjective one involving various stakeholders with diverse perspectives and positions.
Summary
In this article, the prospects, hurdles, and standpoints on cultured foods, an innovative option to traditional meat production involving culturing animal cells in vitro, have been deliberated. Cultured foods may offer several benefits for the environment, ethics, health, and food security, but they must overcome numerous technical, economic, social, and regulatory obstacles before gaining widespread availability and acceptance. Cultured foods are not a straightforward or simple solution to the challenges of food sustainability but a complex and uncertain one involving multiple trade-offs and uncertainties that necessitate careful consideration. Certainly, they are not a neutral or objective topic, but a contested and subjective one involving various stakeholders with differing perspectives and positions.
Consequently, the response to the primary inquiry of this article: are cultivated foods the universal remedy of food durability? is not a simple affirmation or denial, but a detailed answer. It relies on how we interpret food durability, how we assess the consequences of cultivated foods, how we compare them with other choices, how we tackle their difficulties, how we interact with their stakeholders, and how we visualize their future. Therefore, I am unable to conclude this article with a conclusive answer or suggestion, but instead with an invitation for further investigation and action. If you are keen on discovering more or engaging in cultivated foods, here are some recommendations:
- Explore more about the science and technology behind cultivated foods from credible sources.
- Sample some cultivated food items if they are accessible in your locality or on the internet.
- Communicate your viewpoints and encounters with others via social media or online platforms.
- Engage in surveys or experiments that research customer approval of cultivated foods.
- Back or join organizations that advocate or manufacture cultivated foods.
- Contact or persuade your policymakers to endorse or regulate cultivated foods.
- Monitor or join the debates and conversations among various stakeholders on cultivated foods.
I trust that this article has equipped you with some beneficial information and viewpoints on cultivated foods and that it has ignited your interest and inquisitiveness in this emerging subject. Thank you for reading!
Further readings:
Cultivated Meat: Vows and Obstacles | SpringerLink
Foods | Free Full-Text | Sustainable Future Protein Foods: The Challenges and the Future of Cultivated Meat (mdpi.com)
Frontiers | How Cellular Agriculture Systems Can Boost Food Security (frontiersin.org)
[i] Sustainability | Free Full-Text | Emissions from Animal Agriculture—16.5% Is the New Minimum Figure (mdpi.com)
[ii] Environmental Impacts of Cultivated Meat Production | Environmental Science & Technology (acs.org)
[iii] Anticipatory Life Cycle Analysis of In Vitro Biomass Cultivation for Cultivated Meat Production in the United States | Environmental Science & Technology (acs.org)
[iv] Frontiers | Climate Impacts of Cultivated Meat and Beef Cattle (frontiersin.org)
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