Meat produced from artificially cultured cells could be up to 25% worse for the environment than standard beef, new research has found.
The New Scientist magazine reported that a study by food scientist Derrick Risner and his team at the University of California, Davis indicated that the carbon dioxide equivalents emitted from lab grown meats were 4 to 25 times higher than regular beef.
Cultivated meat includes any meat grown in equipment, such as a test tube or a stainless steel bioreactor.
Such products have been seen as a more sustainable alternative to ordinary meat because the production uses less water, antibiotics and land than rearing livestock.
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However, the study found that because the liquid used to grow the product contains salts, amino acids and vitamins that all require energy-intensive techniques, it actually comes with more environmental costs.
Some studies have suggested that as research develops lab grown meat will eventually have a lower carbon footprint than traditional meat.
In May last year industry leaders said that post-Brexit Britain could become a world leader in cultured meat.
In November 2022, the FDA declared that a lab grown meat by the company Upside Food was safe for human consumption, which means that the product shortly could be widely available in UK supermarkets.
Plant based options such as those from the brand Beyond Meat are already widely available across Big 4 supermarkets Tesco, Asda and Aldi.
