Edible, animal-derived meat serves as an excellent source of protein and a myriad of vitamins and minerals that are essential for the human diet. With rapid economic and population growth, the demand for meat and other sources of nutrition has increased exponentially worldwide; however, meat production has purported environmental impacts including increased pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, land degradation/water consumption, biodiversity loss, and negative effects on animal welfare.1,2,3 Questions also remain concerning the sustainability of meat production4 and potential adverse effects on human health.5
Cultivated meat (i.e., cell-cultured meat) has been promoted as an alternative to the livestock industry to address many of the above dilemmas and touted as a more sustainable, safer, and healthier means of food production.6 However, regulatory hurdles must be overcome for cultivated meat to reach the commercial market, as cultivated meat has not yet been concluded safe for consumption in the U.S. The unique safety challenges of cell-cultivated meat include: