The idea of ‘cultivating’ meat is almost 100 years old. In December 1931, Winston Churchill famously wrote that “in 50 years we shall escape the absurdity of growing a whole chicken in order to eat the breast or wing by growing these parts separately under a suitable medium”. His prediction was off by some 30 years but was nevertheless fulfilled as a proof-of-principle: in 2013, the world’s first-ever cultivated hamburger was developed at the modest price of US $325,000. The following decade brought several improvements in cell lines, culture media, bioreactors and scaffolds1. Whether it will soon be possible to cultivate meat at market scale and in a cost-competitive manner remains debated2,3. Nevertheless, the sizable market opportunity has led to considerable investment (in total, almost $3 billion)4.
Ethical advantages aside, cultivated meat is predicted to have a lower environmental burden than that of conventional meat5, to limit the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria6 and to reduce the risk of zoonosis7. Collectively, the field is attracting the attention of governments and other entities that are looking for solutions to tackle these pressing issues of our time. In this context, a recently proposed bill by the Italian government to ban cultivated meat is not only anachronistic but also creates a dangerous precedent that could stifle this emerging sector elsewhere. As representatives of the field who are suffering the effects of this antagonistic political and social climate at first hand, we wish to contextualize and raise international attention on this matter and ultimately to propose a call for action to mitigate it and prevent similar developments elsewhere.
