Journal of Food Technology and Preservation

What could be the future of "Cultured Meat"? Is it possible? Is it good? Is it acceptable?

10^th International Conference on Food Science & Technology
February 07, 2022 | Webinar

Jean-Francois Hocquette

French Academy of Agriculture, France

Scientific Tracks Abstracts : J Food Technol Pres

Abstract:

Although there is a consensus about the challenges in agriculture, food and environment, the innovations developed to respond to them are varied. Among these, “cultured meat” is a subject that raises many questions to which a French conference attempted to answer in part by combining the opinions of two start-ups in the sector and of French experts in agriculture, animal husbandry and human nutrition. While culture of muscle cells is a well-known technique, many technical and economic obstacles remain to be solved in order to move to largescale production. Although the cost has been reduced and will continue to decrease, it is still high to be competitive. In addition, scientists from academic research are asking for precise information to share, in particular about the composition of culture media and of products, as well as production efficiency. Several opinions were expressed to stress that these products could not be called “meat” from a biological, semantic and legal point of view, as well as under Community regulations, they are considered as "novel foods". Regarding the environmental impact or the composition of the products, it is difficult to give precise answers because only a few academic research studies are available or conclusive. The debates focused on the available knowledge, reassuring hypotheses or concerns expressed by experts, in particular by comparison with other solutions suggested to feed humanity (such as reducing food waste or changing our agricultural practices and our eating habits). In this context, the issue of animal welfare is also central as well as the level of potential acceptance of "cultured meat" by consumers, which is still difficult to estimate.

Biography:

Jean-François Hocquette is a Scientist at INRAE (the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment) studying muscle biology, genomics and consumer expectations related to beef eating quality. He was leader of the research team “Muscle Growth and Metabolism” (1999-2006), and of the Herbivore Research Unit (172 staff, 2006-2010). He was member of the French High Council for Evaluation of Research and Higher Education. He is working for the International Meat Research 3G Foundation and for the European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP). He is Editor of the French Meat R&D journal and of several books. He 3D Printing and Medicine Annual Congress Las Vegas, Nevada, USA | October 5-6, 2017 was awarded by the French Meat Academy and received the 2014 Animal Growth and Development Award and the 2021 Meats Award from the American Society of Animal Science. He will organize the World Congress of Animal Science in Lyon in 2023.

PDF HTML