Lab grown or cell cultured meat and has just been deemed safe for consumption in Australia. The food product is made by multiplying individual cells (taken from an animal, dead or alive) in a large tank of liquid, much like at a brewery, and then turning that paste into a food product, such as foie gras or mince. Vow is one of two lab grown meat startups in Australia. After a two year long process, Food Standards Australia and New Zealand has given the green light for Vow’s product to be sold for consumption. The cultured Japanese quail foie gras is expected to be landing on the plates of diners in a few high end restaurants in Sydney or Melbourne within months, if all goes to plan for the company.
Professor Dora Marinova from Curtin University says the industry though has a way to go to convince consumers it’s safe and nutritious to eat. She said, "usually people will try it once, but there is no guarantee that they will continue consuming it over and over. And this is where the success lies in this return consumption."
Other key industry claims include lab made meat is more environmentally friendly as it does not require large farmland for animals to be grown, and that it is more ethical as the animal does not have to be slaughtered to produce meat.
Monash University biotechnology research scientist Paul Wood says, at present, the process of making lab grown meat is quite energy intensive — "so unless you’re using totally renewable energy, then you’re not going to be more sustainable on an energy basis." The industry had also recently faced cost pressures and the impacts of a drop in investor interest in the alternative meat sector, according to Professor Wood.
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