Lab-Grown Meat Struggles

Lab-grown meat is supposed to be good for the environment. And it costs much less to produce than meat from chickens, which can take years to raise. It is also an alternative to plant-based meat from companies like Beyond Meat. Plant-based meat, which, after a surge in sales, has become unpopular. 

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In June 2023, the Agriculture Department approved the sale of lab-grown meat, also known as cell-cultured meat. Only two companies were approved to sell it–GOOD Meat and UPSIDE Foods. And it will sold in a small number of restaurants. 

The current problem with lab-grown meat is obvious. Despite the clear advantage over farm-raised chickens, which creates massive methane emissions, the government will not give large production the green light. One reason may be that the climate advantage does not exist at all. According to Scientific American, “Cultured meat production facilities, at the very least, will consume drastically less land and water than traditional agriculture and directly emit fewer greenhouse gases, though their total eventual carbon footprint at a mass-production scale is unclear.”

The slow expansion of lab-grown meat is another example of how slow government action can damage the environment long-term. While the federal government generally says it wants to fight climate change, bureaucracy makes that goal less likely.

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