Is Lab Grown Meat Healthy and Safe for Consumption?
Lab grown meat is considered an alternative to conventional meat that will flood the market in only a few years to come. Interestingly, some consider that it might totally replace conventional meat, like the way technology replaced archaic methods. It does seem so since lab grown meat promises so much in terms of its lesser impact on the environment and the absence of animal cruelty.
Even so, it only makes sense to know how healthy cell-based meat is for consumption. If you are as curious as we are, then you're welcome! Here, we've highlighted five reasons why lab-grown meat is considered healthy based on our findings.
#1. Little or No Microbial Contamination
Because cultured meat is produced intentionally in highly precise and controlled environments, it is less subject to microbial contamination. This is not very true for conventional meat. Animals are exposed to microbes all their lives, no matter how monitored their rearing is. It is even worse when the animal production mechanisms are not properly monitored.
Besides, living animals feed and possess intestines before they are slaughtered. The intestine is known to host many of the pathogens that cause human diseases and deaths year in, year out. Since cell-based meat has no intestines, they are unable to host these disease pathogens.
#2. No Growth Hormones
It is becoming more and more prevalent for farm animals to be injected with growth hormones to speed up their maturing process. While this act leaves us with more fleshy meat to bite on, these growth hormones do humans no good. Several research have put it out that hormone residues in meat could cause adverse effects on humans ranging from developmental problems from hormonal imbalance to reproductive problems and cancer.
If all conventional meat is sourced from farm animals that have not been dosed with growth hormones, then that will be totally fine. However, we can not always vouch for this very fact. But for lab-grown meat, we do know that no growth hormones are added. The cells are instead fed with organic nutrients that make proliferation possible, just like farm animals and any other living organism will need the right kinds of nutrients to survive.
#3. No Antibiotics
The World Health Organization has declared antibiotic resistance as one of the top 10 severe issues of global public health concern. While they are several factors responsible for antimicrobial resistance, the leading cause is the misuse of antibiotics. It is safe to ensure that antibiotics are used only according to prescription. In the same vein, it is crucial to watch that antibiotics are not consumed indirectly from animal meat that may have been injected with lots of them. Thankfully, for lab-grown meat, we are sure there are no antibiotics injected because there were never infections of concern in the meat, to begin with.
#4. Less Worry about Infectious Diseases
Every now and then, a new and highly infectious disease of concern is announced. Most of these diseases are contracted from animals which may also be farm animals. We've heard of avian flu and swine flu. No one knows what the next kind of zoonotic diseases will be and what impacts they may have on human health. There is one thing we know though, there will be less risk of these infectious diseases with lab-grown meat as it is produced in sterile compartments.
#5. Possible Composition Tweaks to Provide Healthier Meats
It is common to have many avoid certain kinds of meat. It could be that the fat content of one meat is too much while the other has a high iron content. The good thing about the technology of cultured meat is that the ingredients can be carefully selected to meet the nutritional requirements of certain groups of people who do need such "pickiness." In essence, you may be able to have your cultured beef or pork with not so much fat content as the conventional meat from slaughtered cow or swine.
While the amount of fat in cultivated meat can be reduced, some very unhealthy fat types can also be replaced with more healthy and essential fats like Omega-3 fatty acids. What's more? The intentionally prepared meat can also be infused with essential vitamins and needed micronutrients.
Conclusion
Although production mechanisms and research on cell-based meat are still in their early stages, its already established benefits justify its appellation as "the future of meat." It is not only better for environmental health, but it also provides several health benefits and makes a healthy food choice.
