Is Cultivated Meat Vegan? Not According to The Vegan Society

Cultivated meat is real meat “developed without slaughter”, but it isn’t vegan, according to the organisation that coined the term.

As cultivated meat continues its journey of consumer and regulatory acceptance, one question looms large for the industry: is it vegan?

Vegan food and cultivated meat are both subsets of the alternative protein space, working to address the same issues – climate change, intensive animal agriculture, and human health, among others – but with vastly different approaches.

The former involves using plants or microbes to make food as close to animal-derived meat as possible, while the latter makes use of real animal cells to produce meat identical to the conventional thing, just without all the emissions and the killing that comes with it.

Since veganism means no animal inputs whatsoever, by definition, cultivated meat doesn’t fall under this umbrella. But it has been subject to discussion, with many vegans expressing interest in trying the products just as others denounce the use of animal cells to create these products.

To settle that debate, The Vegan Society – the charity that coined the term ‘vegan’ – has published a research briefing that states in no uncertain terms: “Cultured meat is not vegan. Furthermore, it may never be considered vegan.”

Why The Vegan Society opposes cultivated meat

The Vegan Society’s position centres around speciesism. It is “woven into the fabric of our society” and involves the systemic oppression and ill-treatment of animals based upon the perception of human superiority, and it’s a belief the charity seeks to challenge.

The research paper suggests that in the current discussion around cultivated meat, there’s a “near total absence” of the animal that had its cells extracted. Most existing literature – from academic publications to company websites – only mention the animal briefly. “What happens to the animal after their biopsy is left unclear. Presumably, they meet the same fate as most other farmed animals,” states The Vegan Society.

To think that cultivated meat companies and investors are driven mostly by ethical and environmental concerns is perhaps “naive”, according to the charity, which outlined the industry’s massive growth potential and profit-making opportunities.

It takes issue with the involvement of conventional meat giants like Cargill and Tyson, who “arguably stand to make a lot of money from its success”. While it’s true that these companies have invested in several startups in the space, proponents argue that this presents a pathway for these meat producers to drive greater consumer adoption of alternative proteins while possibly lowering their own climate footprint.

“It’s understandable that some vegans may be drawn to the possibilities of this technology. However, as our policy position makes clear, cultured meat is not vegan or a panacea for the horrors of animal use and exploitation,” the organisation notes.

It further nods to advancements in cell line development, which could potentially eliminate the need for any animal inputs whatsoever. But this, for now, remains “only theory”.

“As it currently stands, the process of cultivated meat is not enough for us to support it. There is already a myriad of vegan meat alternatives that don’t derive from cultivated or lab-grown meats – essentially there are kinder alternatives out there. Whilst these products include starter cells derived from animals, they aren’t vegan,” says The Vegan Society. “We understand that this is a fast-moving sector, and we will keep this under review.”

Advisors advocate for nuance

The policy paper featured two competing opinion pieces by members of its Research Advisory Committee. Corey Lee Wrenn, a sociology lecturer at the University of Kent, echoes the organisation’s position by saying it’s important to recognise “the symbolic violence that cultured meat sustains”, arguing that these proteins are “deeply problematic” and “reinforce speciesism”.

Chris Bryant, a social scientist and director of Bryan Research, offers a more nuanced take. “Cultivated meat is likely to decrease speciesism, not increase it, and cultivated meat companies care about animal suffering,” he notes, suggesting that some versions of these proteins are “absolutely not vegan”, but others are, even if they “may not be perfectly vegan”.

He concludes that refusing to support cultivated meat – especially on the basis of speciesism or capitalism – is “misguided” and likely to increase animal suffering.

The Vegan Society, for its part, recognises the health and environmental benefits of cultivated meat, stating that it requires far less land and water to produce, produces much fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and lowers the risks of zoonotic disease and antibiotic resistance.

It also highlights how regulators are increasingly embracing cultivated meat. This year alone, four separate products have received approval in various parts of the world, from Israel and the UK to Singapore and Hong Kong – and this is only set to accelerate next year.

To that end, the organisation recommends clear labelling for vegan products to avoid consumer confusion, notes that efforts should be taken to centre animals in the discourse around cultivated meat, advocates for further research to better understand the opinions of vegans, and urges vegan campaigners to emphasise that tech advancements alone can’t save us from the climate crisis.

“We acknowledge that lab-grown meat has the potential to reduce animal suffering and we understand that it has benefits to animal welfare, but we fight for an end to all exploitation,” it says.