The Environmental Impacts of Cultured Meat Production: A Systematic Literature Review

This paper provides an overview of the current state-of-knowledge surrounding the environmental impacts of cultured meat (CM) production. Adopting a systematic literature review (SLR) protocol, over 1,000 papers were retrieved and subsequently appraised through a defined collection of relevance- and quality-based inclusion and exclusion criteria. Utilising Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) literature data, four key LCA impact categories were assessed: land use (crop-eq m2a/kg); water consumption (L/kg); energy requirements (MJ/kg); and greenhouse gas (GHG) production (kg CO2-eq/kg). The results indicate that to produce 1 kg of animal meat, CM production systems could require significantly less land, water and energy resources than conventional meat production methods. Major reductions in GHG emissions are also projected, in comparison with conventionally farmed beef. For other meat types, such as pork and chicken, the GHG reduction potential of CM is less substantial and is highly dependent upon the use of renewable energy sources during production. The LCAs reviewed here provide vital insight into the environmental impacts of changing the way we make meat, showcasing what a transition from conventional, to cellular, agriculture could look like for Earth’s land, water and climactic systems. The accelerated rate at which the CM industry is expanding and its biotechnological production processes evolving calls for increased LCA study. By periodically reviewing and synthesising the available LCA data in SLRs, the industry and its stakeholders can gather insights into any problematic processes, ingredients or equipment, leading to realisation of optimum environmental efficiency outcomes for producing meat using cellular agriculture technology.