Compassion in World Farming optimistic about game-changing lab-grown meats - NaijaAgroNet

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Compassion in World Farming (CWF) has expressed optimism that the 2023 would be a game-changer for lab-grown meats, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The body in its 2023 forecast made available to NaijaAgroNet said that focus sharpened on alternatives to traditional meat to help address climate and biodiversity emergencies, is the reason behind their sharing innovations to watch out for in 2023.

According to Compassion in World Farming, alternative proteins one of many important topics to be discussed at ground-breaking Extinction or Regeneration conference in May, noting that as millions turn their attention to health and diets this New Year, and Veganuary expects its biggest ever global participation, that 2023 could be the year that developments in alternative proteins bring major changes to what the world eats

They also pointed out that while plant-based proteins are already widely available, cultivated meat – also known as lab-grown, cultured or clean meat – has, so far, only been approved for sale in Singapore.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that cultivated or lab-grown meats are made from cells taken from animals without the need for slaughter which could be done without causing them harm, but thus grown separately from them in a sterile environment, lowering the risk of infectious diseases from animals.

The alternative proteins market, CWF said, is growing rapidly with some estimates predicting it could reach US$17.9billion by 2025 and US$1.1 trillion by 2040.

"A switch to proteins produced without the cruelty and environmental damage associated with factory farmed meat production could play an important role in the development of a sustainable global food system. It could also support a switch to more regenerative, nature-friendly farming that helps wildlife and soils to thrive," official said.

More agricultural land, they noted, is dedicated to animal-based food production than any other purpose, with 87 billion land animals reared and slaughtered every year for food, in spite of the fact the world already produced enough food to feed up to twice the current world population, one third is lost or wasted. Globally, 36-40 per cent of crop calories and up to 30 per cent of the global fish catch are used as animal feed when they could be used to feed people.

Meanwhile, more than 820 million people do not have enough to eat, yet more than 1.9 billion are overweight or obesed. And as the climate and biodiversity emergencies accelerate, urgent action to fix our global food system is needed.

NaijaAgroNet recalled that the ground-breaking Extinction or Regeneration conference, taking place on May 11 and 12, will bring together experts and stakeholders from around the world to share solutions, including the potential of alternative proteins, in support of food system transformation.

Compassion in World Farming was founded in 1967 by a British dairy farmer and currently lead in farm animal welfare organisation dedicated to ending factory farming and achieving humane and sustainable food.