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First, decide on the type of animal. Next, pick the cell type. Then take a small, painless biopsy, and put the cells in a solution that makes them feel like they’re still in the body. Once the cells are in this comfortable state, they’ll proliferate. One cell becomes two, two becomes four, four becomes eight, and so on. Continue until you have enough cells to make a burger, a nugget, a sausage, or a piece of bacon, then concentrate them until they bind into solid meat.

It’s all surprisingly straightforward in principle according to Marie Gibbons, a research fellow with The Good Food Institute, who has been researching how to improve this process at Harvard Medical School. We might even see clean meat sold commercially within a year.

The real technical challenge is developing large bioreactors and cheap solutions so that we can make huge volumes and drive down costs.

This interview covers the science and technology involved at each stage of clean meat production, the challenges and opportunities that face cutting-edge researchers like Marie, and how you could become one of them.

Marie’s research focuses on turkey cells. But as she explains, with clean meat the possibilities extend well beyond those of traditional meat. Chicken, cow, pig, but also panda – and even dinosaurs could be on the menus of the future.

Today’s episode is hosted by Natalie Cargill, a barrister in London with a background in animal advocacy. Natalie and Marie also discuss:

• Why Marie switched from being a vet to developing clean meat
• For people who want to dedicate themselves to animal welfare, how does working in clean meat fare compared to other career options? How can people get jobs in the area?
• How did this become an established field?
• How important is the choice of animal species and cell type in this process?
• What are the biggest problems with current production methods?
• Is this kind of research best done in an academic setting, a commercial setting, or a balance between the two?
• How easy will it be to get consumer acceptance?
• How valuable would extra funding be for cellular agriculture?
• Can we use genetic modification to speed up the process?
• Is it reasonable to be sceptical of the possibility of clean meat becoming financially competitive with traditional meat any time in the near future?

The 80,000 Hours podcast is produced by Keiran Harris.

Image credits: Featured image – the range of bioreactors available from Sartorius. Social share image – figure 2 from GFI’s Mapping Emerging Industries:
Opportunities in Clean Meat.

Before the US Civil War, it was easier for the North to morally oppose slavery. Why? Because unlike the South they weren’t profiting much from its existence. The fight for abolition was partly won because many no longer saw themselves as having a selfish stake in its continuation.

Bruce Friedrich, executive director of The Good Food Institute (GFI), thinks the same may be true in the fight against speciesism. 98% of people currently eat meat. But if eating meat stops being part of most people’s daily lives — it should be a lot easier to convince them that farming practices are just as cruel as they look, and that the suffering of these animals really matters.

That’s why GFI is “working with scientists, investors, and entrepreneurs” to create plant-based meat, dairy and eggs as well as clean meat alternatives to animal products. In 2016, Animal Charity Evaluators named GFI one of its recommended charities.

In this interview I’m joined by my colleague Natalie Cargill, and we ask Bruce about:

• What’s the best meat replacement product out there right now?
• How effective is meat substitute research for people who want to reduce animal suffering as much as possible?
• When will we get our hands on clean meat? And why does Bruce call it clean meat, rather than in vitro meat or cultured meat?
• What are the challenges of producing something structurally identical to meat?
• Can clean meat be healthier than conventional meat?
• Do plant-based alternatives have a better shot at success than clean meat?
• Is there a concern that, even if the product is perfect, people still won’t eat it? Why might that happen?
• What’s it like being a vegan in a family made up largely of hunters and meat-eaters?
• What kind of pushback should be expected from the meat industry?

Keiran Harris helped produce today’s episode.