The future of protein could be found in alternative options like lab-grown proteins. As opposition grows over the ethics, health effects, and emissions due to traditional animal farming practices, lab-grown options could be a game-changer. One of the most promising sectors for lab-grown protein is seafood.
Founder of Avant Meats, Carrie Chan, is one of the innovators pushing for cultivated meat and seafood. Chan has created the world’s first lab-cultured fish fillets, which could help preserve our oceans while feeding nearly 8 billion people. Chan explains that “traditional ways of producing meat are continuously and increasingly under threat due to climate change and the risk of pandemics.” She adds that food security is a big issue for many governments, and Avant Meats is offering an additional solution to the problem.
Meat and dairy account for roughly 14% of overall carbon emissions, while the impact of seafood consumption is connected to the damaging effect on the ocean’s ecosystem. Chan’s journey to becoming a sustainability activist started in 2014, when she realized how poorly managed land, coupled with crops reserved for rearing beef cattle and poultry, contributed to famine. She decided to switch to a plant-based diet, feeling lighter and sleeping better.
To scale up production of lab-cultured fish, cells are harvested from living fish and grown over four to six months to create a starter cell culture. The starter is then stored in a frozen state for future research, and a couple of million cells at a time are grown in a bioreactor, feeding off nutrients. After six weeks, an edible product is produced, which is blended with plant-based ingredients to give texture and flavor.
Lab culturing is notably faster and more sterile than farming traditionally grown fish. Parasites, animal welfare concerns, heavy metals, microplastics, and transport-related emissions, which arise from wild catches, are also avoided. Furthermore, there is no need for land to be utilized to create fish feed. With Asia accounting for more than 88% of fish production worth $676.2 billion and consuming about two-thirds of the total, the rise of sustainable lab-cultured fish food products could provide a great solution
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