Cellular Agriculture
Biotechnology research methods to scale the quality production of animal-sourced foods from cell culture
Cellular agriculture
Cellular agriculture is the process of utilizing synthetic biology, cell line development, and protein engineering techniques to produce products that are traditionally harvested via farming, most notably proteins and fats for food products. In 2022, everything from pet food to dairy to gelatin is in the process of being produced without any animal farming.
Cellular agriculture provides a more sustainable food supply chain with dramatically lower emissions, land and water use, as well as flexibility for manufacturing locations. According to a study from Oxford University, “Cultured meat could potentially be produced with up to 96% lower greenhouse gas emissions, 45% less energy, 99% lower land use, and 96% lower water use than conventional meat”. As climate changes continues to affect food supply chains globally, cellular agriculture provides a location-agnostic sustainable option.
Additionally, cellular agricultural provides an ethical and humane alternative to factory farming as animals are not killed in the engineering process. As seafood consumption grows worldwide, overfishing also threatens animal welfare and delicate ecosystems. In 2022, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimated 34% of the world’s fish resources are overfished, a number that has been growing since the 1970s, when only 10% of fish populations were overfished.