would you eat salmon made in a lab?
Lab to Table Dining: The Sustainable Seafood Solution
hello! if you didn’t know, I am in graduate school at NYU for Food Studies. I write papers often about very interesting food-based topics, and I wanted to share some of these with you. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments. The following piece was my final paper for a class called “Contemporary Issues in Food Studies.” Enjoy!
p.s. click here for the salmon crudo recipe pictured above
The present state of the commercial fishing industry presents significant environmental and economic challenges, causing destruction and worsening climate change issues. Increased demand for seafood, particularly salmon, has created a problem of overfishing. Commercial fishing companies catch fish faster than they can re-populate, leading to an endangerment of many species. With overfishing, habitat destruction, and climate change affecting the world's oceans, the need for sustainable and innovative solutions has never been greater. One promising approach to address these issues is the development of cell-cultured or lab-grown seafood, which has the potential to transform the seafood industry by offering a sustainable, ethical, and high-quality alternative to traditional fishing practices. In this paper, I will explore the emergence and history of the cell-based seafood industry, explain how the process works, as well as the benefits, challenges, and real-world applications associated with this new and rapidly evolving industry. By doing so, I aim to convince the reader that lab-grown fish is a viable path forward to expanding sustainable seafood solutions that deliver on taste and quality.
The first occurrence of edible cell-cultured meat was in 2013, when a Dutch start-up’s founder created a lab-grown beef hamburger. This, of course, broke headlines as a shock-inducing method to some, but an exciting development in sustainable meat for others. Another reason it caused much press was its extremely high price tag of $250,000 –– the cost to make the lab-grown meat at the time. Since the burger’s development in 2013, two significant things have happened. Most importantly, overfishing and related issues in the seafood industry have only worsened. Seafood production in some of the highest volume areas like Asia has increased by 16% just since 2013. The other thing that has happened is that the cost of producing cell-cultured meat and fish has drastically decreased. The former occurrence just further proves the desperate need for a solution, which may be provided by the latter.
There are a few private companies that are working on producing lab-grown fish. I will discuss two of them in this paper, Finless Fish and WildType Foods, with a heavier focus on the second company, which is producing salmon. Both companies have been very open about their process of cultivation, which seems to be pretty standard across the industry. For both Finless Fish, who focuses on just tuna, and WildType Foods, the system works as follows. First, stem cells are collected from real, swimming, living fish. According to WildType, “Stem cells can be extracted from anywhere on a living animal,” which implies that the fish may not need to actually die for this step. After the stem cells are collected, they begin the growing process. The companies like to equate this process to how a brewery may work for brewing beer. The cells are placed into sterilized growth tanks with added nutrients to replenish anything that may be missing from not living in the ocean. The cells begin to grow and are then placed onto what they call a “scaffold,” which helps to shape the growing cells into a filet-like piece of fish. This whole process takes about 4-6 weeks, which is roughly ten-times faster than it would take to farm a living salmon. Additionally, the original stem cells have the ability to continue multiplying upon themselves, similar to how a sourdough starter works, which means that even if the cell retrieval was harmful, it only needs to occur a few times at most.
Before getting into the pros and cons of this development, I want to first discuss some of the reasons why the need for a seafood-alternative is necessary. The most daunting reason of all is that some scientists predict that the oceans will be “virtually empty” as soon as 2048, if fishing continues at its current pace. From overfishing, along with problematic practices such as “trawling,” which is when the large nets scrape the ocean floor, ruining the reefs and taking more than is needed, these all contribute to some major problems.
Overfishing, in tandem with the rapid growth of demand for fish such as salmon and tuna, causes these populations to become endangered. Demand is outpacing the natural cycle of re-population, even when the fish is farmed. If something doesn’t happen to slow down the pace of overfishing, there will be little to no remaining fish available. While this is obviously bad for humans who like seafood, this also causes major disruption to the entire food chain. The animals who feed on these fish will have food shortages, the animals that the fish feed on will see a population increase, and ultimately set the entire ecosystem into a dangerous imbalance.
Commercial fishing is also a major contributor to pollution. A study from The Nature Conservancy and UC Santa Barbara found that more than 100 million pounds of plastic from industrial fishing gear pollute the oceans each year. While this is obviously a bad sign for the Earth and the oceans at large, pollutants in the water are making their way into the fish that we consume. Mercury, microplastics, and other contaminants get into the fish, and inevitably lead to health problems for both the fish and humans who eat the fish. These are just some of the reasons why we should invest in cell-cultured seafood as an alternative source.
The following sections will discuss the pros and cons of cell-cultured fish, focusing on some of the difficulties with implementation of this industry, as well as the potential positive and negative impacts.
As we delve deeper into the implications of cell-based fish production, it becomes apparent that there are potential environmental concerns that must be addressed. Although traditional fishing methods have long been criticized for their negative environmental impacts, the production of lab-grown meat and seafood is not immune to these concerns. A particular area of concern is the potential for high concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions resulting from the production process. In fact, a 2019 study on cell-cultured meat and beef found that the production process of lab-grown meat could result in even greater concentrations of CO2 over time. While this raises a red flag, there is hope in sight. With advances in science and technology, more efficient methods of cell-culturing can be developed to reduce CO2 emissions. By prioritizing sustainability in the production process, the cell-based seafood industry can pave the way for a more environmentally conscious approach to food production.
Moreover, there are some promising findings that suggest cell-based meat and seafood production could have a net positive impact on the environment. According to a 2011 study, cultured meat production uses less water, land, and produces fewer emissions than beef, pork, sheep, and poultry. The same may hold true for cultured seafood production, as the process is very similar for comparison purposes. While the energy use for cultured meat and seafood production is actually higher than that of poultry and almost equal to the amount used by pork, the use of renewable energy sources and improvements in technology could make this more sustainable in the future.
Overall, it seems likely that cell-cultured meat and seafood will have a net positive impact on the environment when compared to traditional methods. While more research is needed to fully understand the environmental implications of cell-based seafood production, the current evidence suggests that it may be a promising alternative to traditional fishing methods.
We can’t discuss a potential meat alternative without discussing the topic of animal welfare and general reduction of harm. As this is a core reason why many vegans and vegetarians choose not to eat meat, it is important to consider the implications of a nearly harmless, real meat option. Initially, I was under the impression that at least one fish (or other animal) would have to suffer in order to obtain the stem cells needed to grow fish in a lab. Even if that were the case, it would still be a massive reduction of harm, allowing one fish to die so that thousands more can live. However, I have since learned that it is possible, at least in terms of fish, to retrieve the cells without slaughter. This is exciting news for “ethical vegans,” as it could mean that no fish would have to die in order for a human to enjoy it.
Upon evaluating more extensive research on the topic, we encounter another ethical quandary related to harm reduction. Currently, the vast majority of cell-cultured meat production necessitates the use of fetal bovine serum (FBS), which inevitably involves the slaughter of a cow. The utilization of FBS is not only expensive, but also extremely contentious. Currently, it remains unclear whether this ethical issue is relevant to the cell-cultured seafood industry or if it is only limited to the domain of lab-grown beef. Nevertheless, this is an essential aspect of the debate, and warrants thorough examination. Fortunately, considerable strides have been made in this domain. Several companies, including Mosa Meat – the company responsible for the creation of the infamous $250,000 burger – have devised alternative methods to produce meat from cells that do not require the use of FBS. This technique, which was invented by scientists in Singapore, utilizes magnetic pulses to sidestep the use of FBS. In addition to being significantly more economical, it is also much less controversial. Given that the reduction of harm is likely a major concern for their target consumer, it is reasonable to assume that more businesses will adopt similar practices.
There are, of course, some other drawbacks to the cell-cultured meat and fish industries as a whole. One of the biggest temporary drawbacks drastically slowing down production is the regulatory system. According to the current FDA guidelines, there are currently no cell-cultured meats in the U.S. market, and if there were, they would need to be properly labeled as such. Companies that make cell cultured meat will also have to go through a pre-market inspection of the process and the facilities, just as any other industry would. In March of 2023, the FDA completed its second pre-market inspection for a company called GOOD Meat, who creates cell-cultured chicken meat. The inspection was approved, signaling a positive sign for the industry moving forward. Disappointingly, Italy’s government has proposed a ban on using any cell-cultured meat or fish entirely. The ban claims that it is trying to preserve Italy’s culinary culture and history. In my opinion, as a lover of food culture and tradition, the implementation of cell-cultured meat won’t take anything away from that. In fact, it may even help to prolong and preserve such traditions, as it will allow natural populations to balance out and avoid extinction. Overall, I hope that regulation of cell-cultured food happens quickly and without issue, but I expect it to take a few years to be fully approved globally for consumers to purchase.
One other potential downside is not discussed often, but I wanted to briefly address it. There are some lingering concerns about what impact these developments will have on the existing fishing industry. Many fishermen do practice sustainable fishing and are small, family-owned, businesses. These people are concerned that if cell-cultured fish becomes increasingly popular that they may lose their jobs or their livelihoods due to a decline in business. Now, I think these concerns are a very long way from becoming reality, as the lab-grown fish hasn’t even hit the market yet. And when it does, I suspect it will take a while before the fishing industry even takes a minor hit. However, their concerns are valid. My counter to these concerns is that if the fishing practices continue as they are today, they may be out of a job anyways, due to no fish remaining in the ocean. Additionally, cell-cultured fish should actually allow for fish species to repopulate, allowing for a healthy environment for fishing. As I said, we should take these concerns seriously, but not let them derail the progress. As with any major technological or scientific advancement, people become fearful of losing their jobs. However, I think that in this scenario, it isn’t a massive concern.
Now, the big question is whether or not people will actually eat lab-grown fish. At face value, it may sound very scary to some. Off of some very anecdotal evidence of my own finding, it seems about split. Some people I asked were very excited about this concept, even vegans and vegetarians said they would be willing to eat it as long as no animal is harmed in the process. Others seemed repulsed by the notion, saying we should only eat things that are natural. While I think there will always be a subset of people who refuse to conform or try new things, I think that for a lot of people it comes down to education on the topic. “Lab-grown salmon,” sounds like a freaky, “Frankenstein-like,” thing. If the process was explained more simply and equated to everyday things like beer and bread which use a similar process, I think a lot more people would be on board. Sushi-enthusiasts, chefs, and environmentalists would likely be very interested in trying lab-grown fish and meats. I found that some people were concerned about “long-term effects,” and believed that this may somehow give them cancer. This, to me, just reiterates the need for an effective educational advertisement campaign to show how that is virtually impossible, and how safe and good this option really is. Hard data on this topic is sparse, but there is some. In 2022, a vegan dating app, Veggly found that 47% of its vegan users supported the idea of lab-grown meat, but wouldn’t try it themselves. Though, 24% would try it, and 29% said they don’t support it at all. Another poll, conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Farm Forward, found that a surprising 67% of Americans would at least try lab-grown meat. In my opinion, it’s likely going to have to grow on the general American consumer. I anticipate that eager people, like myself, will race to try it once available, then report back to the skeptics, encouraging them that it tastes just like real fish.
In an ideal scenario, I think that cell-cultured meat as a whole will continue to move forward with relative ease. After a few more rounds of FDA inspections, which most should pass easily, since the facilities are usually meticulously clean and well maintained, then the product will come to the U.S. market after companies find ways to reduce their cost. I can also imagine a scenario where other nations such as Singapore or Japan or even the Nordic countries start bringing this to market before the U.S. does, as they may be able to better see the dire need for it. In this ideal scenario, the fish populations will begin to level out and we will have made a slight dent in the fight against climate change and environmental destruction. However, in reality, it probably will run into a few more hiccups, especially with regard to lowering costs of cell-cultured fish and managing regulations for different countries. In my opinion, the cell-cultured seafood industry will have a major impact on the state of marine life, and will help to revive salmon populations, along with others. I don’t think it will be extremely detrimental to the commercial fishing industry, but it may take a hit at some point. Overall, this is a great development that has far more positives than it does negatives.
In conclusion, the development of cell-cultured or lab-grown seafood offers a promising solution to the environmental and economic challenges facing the commercial fishing industry, which has long been recognized as a vital source of sustenance and employment. However, this industry's historical reliance on traditional fishing practices has exacted a significant toll on our environment. Overfishing, habitat destruction, and the mounting impacts of climate change have collectively contributed to the endangerment of numerous species and the depletion of fish populations worldwide. The emergence of cell-cultured seafood, therefore, presents a transformative opportunity to address these challenges and reimagine the future of the seafood industry.
The advent of cell-based seafood provides a sustainable, ethical, and high-quality alternative to conventional fishing practices. By harnessing cutting-edge scientific and technological advancements, this nascent industry has the potential to redefine seafood production and consumption. However, it is important to acknowledge that there are still formidable hurdles that need to be overcome. Regulatory frameworks must be established to ensure the safety and transparency of cell-based seafood products, while also fostering public acceptance and confidence in these new food sources.
Moreover, the development of more efficient and cost-effective production methods is paramount to drive the scalability and accessibility of lab-grown seafood. Innovations in tissue engineering, bioreactor design, and cell culturing techniques hold promise for improving the efficiency and sustainability of production processes. Collaborative efforts between scientists, industry stakeholders, policymakers, and environmental advocates are vital to advance research, drive innovation, and overcome technical challenges.
By prioritizing the development and adoption of lab-grown seafood, we can chart a course towards a more sustainable and healthy future for our oceans and planet. As consumers, stakeholders, and policymakers increasingly recognize the urgent need for transformative solutions to address the environmental and economic challenges of the fishing industry, the cell-based seafood industry stands poised to meet this demand and play a pivotal role in reshaping our relationship with the oceans, promoting biodiversity conservation, and ensuring the availability of nutritious and responsibly sourced seafood for generations to come. Cell-cultured seafood can offer products that not only satisfy consumers' preferences for taste and quality but also align with their values of environmental stewardship and ethical consumption.