Environmental impacts of cultured meat production
Abstract
Cultured meat (i.e., meat produced in vitro using tissue engineering techniques) is being developed as a potentially healthier and more efficient alternative to conventional meat. Life cycle assessment (LCA) research method was used for assessing environmental impacts of large-scale cultured meat production. Cyanobacteria hydrolysate was assumed to be used as the nutrient and energy source for muscle cell growth. The results showed that production of 1000 kg cultured meat requires 26-33 GJ energy, 367-521 m(3) water, 190-230 m(2) land, and emits 1900-2240 kg CO(2)-eq GHG emissions. In comparison to conventionally produced European meat, cultured meat involves approximately 7-45% lower energy use (only poultry has lower energy use), 78-96% lower GHG emissions, 99% lower land use, and 82-96% lower water use depending on the product compared. Despite high uncertainty, it is concluded that the overall environmental impacts of cultured meat production are substantially lower than those of conventionally produced meat.
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- Authors
- Tuomisto, H. L., & Teixeira de Mattos, M. J.
- Affiliations
- University of Oxford, Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Oxon OX13 5QL, U.K.
- University of Amsterdam, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, Molecular Microbial Physiology Group, NL-1018 WV Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Venue
- Environmental Science & Technology
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Published
- 2011-06-17
- Volume
- 45
- Issue
- 14
- Pages
- 6117-6123
- ISSN
- 0013-936X (ISSN-L)
- 1520-5851
- OpenAlex
- W2332797918
- Semantic Scholar
- 06574337883517ab7bcf22a9514a5d665ca55779
- Cited by
- 891
- References
- 31
- Citations by year
- 2026: 86 · 2025: 122 · 2024: 114 · 2023: 99 · 2022: 101 · 2021: 85 · 2020: 60 · 2019: 66 · 2018: 51 · 2017: 26 · 2016: 18 · 2015: 21 · 2014: 16 · 2013: 19 · 2012: 6
- FWCI
- 11.87
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Environmental Science & Technology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Agriculture Sustainability and Environmental Impact
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Engineering › Environmental Impact and Sustainability
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Insect Science › Insect Utilization and Effects
- Keywords
- cultured meat, environmental impact, life cycle assessment, greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, water consumption, land use, sustainable protein production
- MeSH terms
- Cyanobacteria, California, Carbon Dioxide, Conservation of Energy Resources, Environment, Food Handling, Food Technology, Meat, Protein Hydrolysates, Spain, Temperature, Thailand, Water Supply, Tissue Engineering
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