The technocrats’ agenda of pushing lab-grown meat as a climate change solution and profit-making opportunity seems to involve depriving the masses of real meat options. They are not only promoting the idea of switching to bugs and algae but are also heavily endorsing the so-called “synthetic” meat.
However, consumers might find it hard to stomach the idea of consuming a product that lacks sufficient health data, as it is artificially produced in a lab. To make matters worse, a recent report by Bloomberg has exposed how synthetic meat is, in many instances, linked to cancer, adding fuel to the already raging debate about the safety of this newfangled food.
In his 2021 book “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster,” Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates advocated for the adoption of 100% synthetic beef by all wealthy nations. Gates argued that people can get used to the taste of synthetic meat, and as the product improves, it will become even more appealing. Gates believes that through regulations or by altering people’s behaviors, demand for synthetic meat will shift, resulting in lower methane emissions from livestock, and ultimately aiding in the fight against climate change.
However, Gates’ push for synthetic meat is not solely motivated by environmental concerns. He has invested heavily in companies that manufacture faux meat and plant-based meat substitutes, with the aim of making a substantial profit from this new market.
Notably, the World Economic Forum has also endorsed the replacement of real meat, as pointed out by Igor Chudov in his Substack article that highlighted the dangers of cancerous lab-grown meat.
In 2019, the World Economic Forum (WEF) published an article titled “You will be eating replacement meats within 20 years. Here’s why,” asserting that lab-grown meat could be produced more efficiently and with fewer risks than traditional meat. The same year, Israeli start-up Aleph Farms claimed to have created the world’s first lab-grown steak, adding to the growing momentum behind synthetic meat alternatives.
The WEF continued to tout lab-grown meat as a sustainable solution in a 2020 piece, claiming that it could help reverse deforestation and limit global temperature rises. While this was happening, the US Food and Drug Administration finally approved select lab-grown meats for human consumption in November 2022, following in the footsteps of Singapore, which had already authorized their sale two years earlier.
One of the companies leading the charge in the synthetic meat space is Upside Foods, a California-based firm backed by Bill Gates. CNN reported that the company’s product, which is made from chicken cells, was given the green light to hit the market as soon as the US Department of Agriculture completed its inspection of its facilities.
According to a recent report by Reuters, Upside Foods is aiming to introduce its synthetic meat to restaurants as early as this year. The California-based firm is not the only player in the game, as Good Meat, also based in California, has a pending application with the FDA. Meanwhile, Mosa Meat from the Netherlands and Believer Meats from Israel are reportedly in discussions with the FDA to bring their vat-grown meat alternatives to American consumers.
These companies face numerous challenges in bringing their lab-grown meat to the masses, including regulatory hurdles and establishing a reliable supply chain for the nutrient mix required to feed the cells and the bioreactors necessary for large-scale production. As these firms work to overcome these obstacles, it remains to be seen whether consumers will embrace synthetic meat as a viable alternative to traditional meat, or if concerns about health and taste will dampen its potential for widespread adoption.
A recent Bloomberg report has raised concerns about the use of immortalized cells in the production of lab-grown meat. While companies such as Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson have been using these cells to produce biotherapeutics for decades, lab-grown meat companies are now using them to produce their products at scale.
The report highlighted that normal meat cells have a limited capacity to divide, whereas immortalized cells can continue dividing indefinitely. To achieve the necessary multiplication rates for lab-grown meat production, companies are using immortalized cells, which are technically precancerous and can even become fully cancerous in some cases.
“Lab-Grown ‘Meat’ is Made of
‘Immortalized’ Cancer Cells”
While proponents of lab-grown meat argue that it is no different from real meat on a cellular level, the use of immortalized cells has raised concerns about the safety and health implications of consuming lab-grown meat. As the debate over the merits of synthetic meat continues, it remains to be seen how consumers and regulators will ultimately respond to this novel approach to meat production.
Henrietta Lacks’ cancer cells have become the cornerstone of laboratory productions, used in everything from space research to in-vitro fertilization. Smithsonian Magazine reported that her cells have been used without her knowledge or consent, ultimately leading to the creation of immortalized cells that can divide indefinitely, resembling cancer cells more than anything else. These modified cells are grown in bioreactors, producing tons of cell mass to create what is known as lab-grown meat.
While some cancer researchers have dismissed the risk of consuming this cancerous meat, arguing that it’s impossible for the cells to replicate inside humans or cause cancer, others have voiced concerns. The Bloomberg report noted that these immortalized cells are technically precancerous and can become cancerous in certain cases, sparking fears among some experts and consumers alike.
The lack of long-term health studies on the safety of consuming immortalized cells is a cause for concern, as noted by some experts. This may explain why Upside Foods requires investors and reporters who taste their lab-grown chicken to sign a waiver acknowledging that their product is experimental and that the properties are not fully understood. The potential risks of consuming “chicken tumors and cancer burgers” may be dismissed by some climate activists and journalists, but scientists and legal teams in the industry are not willing to completely ignore them. It remains to be seen whether these concerns will impact the future of lab-grown meat and its acceptance by consumers.
