Scrutable

bjn wrote: Tue Oct 01, 2024 1:43 pm Following on from the OP in this thread, we can now make casein via precision fermentation, one more step on the road to cowless dairy products. Awaiting regulatory approval. Yay! Vegan cheeses will soon get an awful lot nicer. Use it in synthi-milk as well, no need for soya proteins. If/when it can be made cheaper than cow derived casein, industrial uses will adopt is, as well as casein used as a food additive.

Cheese is pretty much the thing stopping me going vegan.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... mpany-says

Cell-cultivated meat could be on sale in the UK within a few years, the food regulator has said, with applications for lab-grown steak, beef, chicken and foie gras already submitted, while another 15 applications are expected in the next two years.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) was awarded £1.6m of government funding on Tuesday to develop an efficient safety assessment process for the novel foods. It said the UK was an attractive market as it had a high number of vegans, vegetarians and flexitarians, a higher openness to new foods than many other European countries and a large financial sector to back startup companies.

[...]

While cultivated meat had the same cells as slaughtered meat, ensuring it was safe for human consumption was still vital, said Prof Robin May, the chief scientific adviser at the FSA. “Companies are obviously aiming for products indistinguishable from the animal equivalent, but the way they are achieving that is fundamentally different.”

The cells are grown in a liquid and prompted to develop into muscle, blood and fat tissue. “You do that typically with a very complex cocktail of growth media and growth factors,” he said. “Are they all safe? Because there might be some left in the final product. Also, are there any genetic changes in the cells that might make them in some way hazardous?”

But May said the developments were exciting: “There is lots of potential here for all sorts of benefits in terms of welfare, sustainability, health, and just consumer choice.”

The FSA’s project to develop the assessment criteria will take two years and involve discussion with academic experts and the companies. This is intended to lead to an efficient approval process being established that would be expected to take companies two years to complete. However, applications already submitted to the FSA are being analysed currently.

The project is the first of its type outside South Korea. “Many of the techniques used to create cell-cultivated products have been used to create cell-cultivated medicines previously,” said May. “So for us, it’s a huge advantage to be able to draw on that massive amount of evidence.”

[...]

In July, the UK became the first country in Europe to approve cultivated meat for use in pet food, after Meatly’s chicken was approved by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Animal and Plant Health Agency.

Meat, dairy and sugar grown in a lab could be on sale in the UK for human consumption for the first time within two years, sooner than expected.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is looking at how it can speed up the approval process for lab-grown foods.

World’s first lab-grown meat pet treats launched in the UK

Pet treats with cultivated meat are now available for purchase in the United Kingdom. The treats, made by Meatly—a London-based startup producing cultivated meat for pets—in collaboration with plant-based dog food brand The Pack, contain plant-based ingredients along with cultivated chicken meat.1

At a cost of £3.49 ($4.30 USD) for 50 grams, the treats, called “Chick Bites,” are currently being sold in small samples through a limited release in one Pets at Home location in London, England, a pet retail chain of 457 stores in the UK.1,2 Pets at Home, along with Agronomics—a UK investor in cultivated meat—are among Meatly’s largest investors.3

[…]

With the product release at Pets at Home, the retailer is now the first to sell pet food made from cultivated meat.1 According to a company announcement, Meatly has plans to raise additional funds to scale production and broaden the availability of Meatly Chicken in the next 3 to 5 years and plans to continue collaborating with The Pack and Pets at Home.1

[…]

Meatly Chicken is produced from a single sample of cells taken from one chicken egg.1 Over the course of a week, the chicken egg cells are fed with a blend of amino acids, vitamins, and minerals, resulting in meat with a texture resembling chicken pâté.2

Woodchopper wrote: Tue Mar 11, 2025 7:15 am The price of the lab grown dog treats is about £70 per kilo. Asda sells dog treats at between £1.76 per kilo to about £50 per kilo. So it seems that there should be a market if it’s possible to persuade consumers that it’s a premium product.

Woodchopper wrote: Tue Mar 11, 2025 7:15 am The price of the lab grown dog treats is about £70 per kilo. Asda sells dog treats at between £1.76 per kilo to about £50 per kilo. So it seems that there should be a market if it’s possible to persuade consumers that it’s a premium product.

bjn wrote: Tue Mar 11, 2025 9:16 am

Woodchopper wrote: Tue Mar 11, 2025 7:15 am The price of the lab grown dog treats is about £70 per kilo. Asda sells dog treats at between £1.76 per kilo to about £50 per kilo. So it seems that there should be a market if it’s possible to persuade consumers that it’s a premium product.

If/when it scales, prices will come down. Early adopters might be richer vegan/veggie dog owners who want to include their animals. The cheaper stuff is generally abattoir sweepings, so it might not be that hard to persuade folks that it’s better than the bottom end.

Woodchopper wrote: Thu Mar 13, 2025 5:26 pm That said, as far as I know lab grown meat isn’t considered to be a vegan or vegetarian product.

bjn wrote: Thu Mar 13, 2025 6:01 pm

Woodchopper wrote: Thu Mar 13, 2025 5:26 pm That said, as far as I know lab grown meat isn’t considered to be a vegan or vegetarian product.

That's going to be a weird one for alot of people. I consider myself veggie, and depending on how it was grown, I'd be open to eating vat grown meat. Not that I particularly liked red meat though.

Woodchopper wrote: Thu Mar 13, 2025 5:26 pm

bjn wrote: Tue Mar 11, 2025 9:16 am

Woodchopper wrote: Tue Mar 11, 2025 7:15 am The price of the lab grown dog treats is about £70 per kilo. Asda sells dog treats at between £1.76 per kilo to about £50 per kilo. So it seems that there should be a market if it’s possible to persuade consumers that it’s a premium product.

If/when it scales, prices will come down. Early adopters might be richer vegan/veggie dog owners who want to include their animals. The cheaper stuff is generally abattoir sweepings, so it might not be that hard to persuade folks that it’s better than the bottom end.

Yes, it should come down in price as production scales up.

That said, as far as I know lab grown meat isn’t considered to be a vegan or vegetarian product.

Woodchopper wrote: Thu Mar 13, 2025 6:08 pm

bjn wrote: Thu Mar 13, 2025 6:01 pm

Woodchopper wrote: Thu Mar 13, 2025 5:26 pm That said, as far as I know lab grown meat isn’t considered to be a vegan or vegetarian product.

That's going to be a weird one for alot of people. I consider myself veggie, and depending on how it was grown, I'd be open to eating vat grown meat. Not that I particularly liked red meat though.

Not my opinion but here’s something on why the Vegan Society objects to lab grown meat: https://www.greenqueen.com.hk/is-lab-grown-meat-vegan/

Seems to come down to a belief that eating meat is still wrong wherever it comes from.

Opti wrote: Thu Mar 13, 2025 8:17 pm Me and ddb have been vegetarians for years (probably over 30) I would certainly try meat protein not obtained by the slaughter of animals, ddb's not so sure yet. I'd still find it difficult to eat a traditional shape cut of pretend meat.

They can pull my dairy products from my cold dead hands though. I fully understand the cruel nature of the dairy industry, but I don't think I could ever stop eating cheese.

Grumble wrote: Thu Mar 13, 2025 10:45 pm

Opti wrote: Thu Mar 13, 2025 8:17 pm Me and ddb have been vegetarians for years (probably over 30) I would certainly try meat protein not obtained by the slaughter of animals, ddb's not so sure yet. I'd still find it difficult to eat a traditional shape cut of pretend meat.

They can pull my dairy products from my cold dead hands though. I fully understand the cruel nature of the dairy industry, but I don't think I could ever stop eating cheese.

Milk proteins and fats might well be made by precision fermentation soon, so cheese might not come from cows forever.

Martin_B wrote: Fri Mar 14, 2025 12:08 am

Grumble wrote: Thu Mar 13, 2025 10:45 pm

Opti wrote: Thu Mar 13, 2025 8:17 pm Me and ddb have been vegetarians for years (probably over 30) I would certainly try meat protein not obtained by the slaughter of animals, ddb's not so sure yet. I'd still find it difficult to eat a traditional shape cut of pretend meat.

They can pull my dairy products from my cold dead hands though. I fully understand the cruel nature of the dairy industry, but I don't think I could ever stop eating cheese.

Milk proteins and fats might well be made by precision fermentation soon, so cheese might not come from cows forever.

Milk doesn't have to come from cows. It can come from goats, and sheep and Venezuelan beavers.

Tessa K wrote: Fri Mar 14, 2025 7:57 am

Martin_B wrote: Fri Mar 14, 2025 12:08 am

Grumble wrote: Thu Mar 13, 2025 10:45 pm
Milk proteins and fats might well be made by precision fermentation soon, so cheese might not come from cows forever.

Milk doesn't have to come from cows. It can come from goats, and sheep and Venezuelan beavers.

Also buffalos.

Grumble wrote: Fri Mar 14, 2025 8:17 am

Tessa K wrote: Fri Mar 14, 2025 7:57 am

Martin_B wrote: Fri Mar 14, 2025 12:08 am
Milk doesn't have to come from cows. It can come from goats, and sheep and Venezuelan beavers.

Also buffalos.

Buffalo cows. Also, goat cows, sheep cows and beaver cows.