Cultivated meat outperforms beef in carbon emissions and land use, flags study

A life cycle assessment (LCA) of industrial cultivated meat production has revealed that only 3.1 m² of land is currently needed to produce 1 kg of meat. This number can be scaled back to 2 m² per kg in the future, which the study notes is less than for any type of traditionally farmed meat. 

Czech biotechnology start-up Bene Meat Technologies conducted the assessment with scientists from the Czech Technical University (CTU) in Prague.

The study is peer-reviewed by an expert from the University of Nottingham in the UK, revealing insights into the environmental footprint of cultivated meat production. Data derived from Bene Meat’s Prague factory, which has a 200-ton-per-year capacity, has informed the study.

“This LCA study provides the first comprehensive insight into the actual impacts of industrial meat cultivation. Our findings demonstrate that in terms of environmental impacts, this technology has enormous potential and achieves significantly better results than, for example, traditional beef production,” says the study’s lead author, Dr. Miroslav Žilka, Ph.D of CTU.

Tackling meat-based emissions

Petr Bubeníček, head of Production at Bene Meat, highlights that the study includes all input materials, contributing more than half of the total emissions per kilogram of cell-based meat.

This indicates that the cultivation technology is so optimized and efficient that most of the linked emissions occur outside the biotechnology facility, at the stage when the raw material is supplied, according to the researchers.

Based on the research, 5.28 kg of CO2 equivalent emissions are generated per kg of cultivated meat. This figure includes the environmental footprint of the equipment used. The team predicts a gradual decrease to 3.29 kg CO2 equivalent.

On the other hand, a kg of beef produces between 20-100 kg of CO2 equivalent, depending on the type of farming.

“We believe that this study marks a key milestone in understanding the environmental impacts of cultivated meat and confirms its potential as a sustainable source of protein,” says Tomáš Kubeš, head of Strategic Projects at Bene Meat.

Research and innovation in the cultured meat space are seeing more investment from F&B players as consumer attitudes soften.

Experts at the National University of Singapore utilized kafirin — a protein found in red sorghum grain — to develop hybrid cultured pork with “promising potential” in providing higher protein content (22.9%), unique mouthfeel and appearance characteristics.