More consumers say there's nothing fishy about lab-grown seafood
| Hong Kong
When chef Eddy Leung was tasked with cooking what was touted as the world鈥檚 first聽lab-grown聽fish聽filets in his kitchen in southwestern聽Hong聽Kong, he pan-fried some and deep-fried others before finally deciding on breaded聽fish聽burgers with tartar sauce.
鈥淏efore I cooked the聽fish聽it was quite firm, but after I cooked it the texture changed to being like real聽fish,鈥� Mr. Leung said of the culinary experiment that took place in the gritty Wong Chuk Hang neighborhood late last year.
The filets tasted and smelled like normal聽fish, but with the consistency of crab cakes, he said.
Made by聽Hong聽Kong-based food tech startup聽Avant Meats, the聽fish聽on Mr. Leung鈥檚 stove represents a key step toward meeting growing global demand for meat and seafood without jeopardizing climate goals, said Elaine Siu, managing director of the nonprofit Good Food Institute (GFI) Asia-Pacific.
鈥淐ultivated meat gives consumers the animal protein they want without having to deplete the oceans or chop down the rainforest to get it,鈥� she said.
The聽fish聽tasting came on the heels of Singapore鈥檚 announcement in early December that it had become the first government to approve cell-cultivated chicken, leading to the world鈥檚 first commercial sale of聽lab-grown聽meat, also known as 鈥渃lean meat.鈥�
In a report published last year, GFI said economic growth and rising incomes are expected to drive Asia鈥檚聽appetite聽for traditional meat and seafood聽up聽nearly 80% by 2050.
While聽lab-grown聽meat is just beginning to gain ground, a University of Oxford study in 2011 found cultured meat could lower energy use in meat production by聽up聽to 45%, greenhouse gases more than 78%, land use 99% and water use聽up聽to 96%.
However, other researchers have said the green benefits of cultured meat are overestimated, not least because it can be energy intensive to produce.
鈥楽hrink the footprint鈥�
Cultivating聽fish聽in a聽lab聽can be done in a fraction of the time it takes to produce聽fish聽normally, said Carrie Chan, Avant鈥檚 co-founder and chief executive officer.
Most farmed聽fish聽take between a year to two years to grow, depending on the species, while wild聽fish聽take longer, she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
For Mr. Leung鈥檚 tasting, however, Avant cultivated about 10 filets in approximately two months.
To make the filets, the company put cells from a grouper聽fish聽into a bioreactor and fed them glucose, minerals, amino acids, vitamins and proteins 鈥� much like making beer or yogurt, said Avant co-founder and chief scientific officer Mario Chin.
The cells then grow into muscle tissue 鈥� without heads, fins or organs.
Cell culture technologies can cultivate a variety of animal proteins almost anywhere, said Mr. Chin.
This appeals to companies looking for stable prices and predictable volume to help them overcome volatility in food supplies, as well as those wanting to source closer to consumers, said J.Y. Chow, who leads Mizuho Bank鈥檚 efforts to finance agriculture and food projects in the region.
Governments can benefit, too, with the COVID-19 pandemic and trade conflicts showing the need to secure and localize food production.
鈥淣ow we can shrink the footprint to a single point where the bioreactor is,鈥� said Ms. Chan at Avant.
Traceability and consistent quality are also big draws, said Markus Haefeli, the outgoing chairman of Regal Springs, one of the world鈥檚 largest responsible tilapia producers.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization said in a 2020 report that one third of the world鈥檚聽fish聽stocks are overfished.
Other studies predict the ocean will have more plastics than聽fish聽by 2050, with levels of microplastics, heavy metals, and contaminants increasingly tainting seafood.
Concerns about animal rights can also help drive a switch to聽lab-grown聽meat.
鈥淭he whole notion that you don鈥檛 need to kill animals to eat protein from animals is a huge argument,鈥� said Mr. Haefeli, who has invested in Avant.
Fundamental shift
The idea of eating聽lab-grown聽meat has become more palatable to consumers, especially in Asia, in recent years.
A 2019 survey published in the academic journal Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems showed people in China and India were more open to consuming cultivated meat than consumers in America.
鈥淭he street food in聽Hong聽Kong聽is a bit scary. You don鈥檛 know what the source is,鈥� said Minnie Cheung, a yoga teacher who tasted the聽lab-grown聽fish聽in Leung鈥檚 kitchen.
鈥淚f I wasn鈥檛 told it was cultivated聽fish, I would think it was gourmet-quality聽fish聽made into a burger.鈥�
Still, many people are skeptical about eating聽lab-grown聽fish, both because it is not natural and because they believe it is genetically modified food.
But cultured seafood is not genetically modified, said Mr. Chow at Mizuho Bank 鈥� a point that highlights the importance of education and clear聽labeling in getting people to embrace cultivated meat.
鈥淭he critical point is not only to educate the consumer on the how 鈥� meaning the process and how safe it is 鈥� but also the why,鈥� he said.
That includes explaining why alternative proteins are important and 鈥渨hat are the benefits for you, for animal welfare, for the planet,鈥� Mr. Chow said.
As well as getting the right information to consumers, the success of cultivated meat and seafood will depend on getting the price right, Mr. Chow said.
Right now聽lab-grown聽fish 鈥撀爓hich is not yet available commercially 鈥� is set to supply a niche market, where consumers are willing to pay a premium, rather than the mass market, Mr. Chow noted.
But cultured meats have the potential to disrupt the $1 trillion conventional meat industry, according to a 2019 report from global consultancy A.T. Kearney.
The report predicted that cultured meats will make聽up聽35% of global meat consumption within the next 20 years.
Industry insiders like Haefeli at Regal Springs hope that changing what people put on their plates will be part of a fundamental shift in attitudes toward the health of the planet.
鈥淲ill we look back and say, 鈥楬ey, people were still driving their own cars, they were still burning fuel for their cars, and they were still killing animals to eat protein鈥�?鈥� he asked in a video interview.
鈥淐an you imagine?鈥�
This story was reported by the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
