Environmental\nImpacts of Cultured Meat: A Cradle-to-Gate\nLife Cycle Assessment

Interest in animal cell-based meat (ACBM) as an environmentally\nconscious replacement for livestock production has been increasing;\nhowever, a life cycle assessment (LCA) for the existing production\nmethods of ACBM has not been conducted. Currently, ACBM products are\nbeing produced at a small scale, but ACBM companies are intending\nto scale-up production. Updated findings from recent technoeconomic\nassessments (TEAs) of ACBM were utilized to perform an LCA of near-term\nACBM production. A scenario analysis was conducted utilizing the metabolic\nrequirements examined in the TEAs of ACBM, and a purification factor\nwas utilized to account for growth medium component processing. The\nresults indicate that the environmental impact of near-term ACBM production\nhas the potential to be significantly higher than beef if a highly\nrefined growth medium is utilized for ACBM production. This study\nhighlights the need to develop a sustainable animal cell growth medium\nthat is optimized for high-density animal cell proliferation for ACBM\nto generate positive economic and environmental benefits.