We explore the world of ‘cultured’ meat – a cruelty-free vision for the future – and ask how sustainable it really is

At first, it seemed like any other burger. Dripping in blood red juices, the fried patty’s meaty aroma filled the room and aroused appetites in the assembled crowd. The beef had bite, was slightly crunchy, not chewy, and held the deep, reassuring heat of something taken from the barbecue a few seconds before. But this burger did not come from a cow. At least, not one that trotted through fields of mud. It was grown artificially, in a laboratory.

The result, which cost €250,000 (£213,000) and took more than two years to produce, was tasted back in August 2013 by Hanni Rützler, a food trends researcher for the Future Food Studio. “I was worried it would be creamy,” laughs the Austrian, a former food critic. “But it was very pure. I was very surprised how close it was to the original.”

Depending on what you want to call it – lab-grown, in-vitro, cultured or the rather emotive “clean” meat are among the favourites – the science behind this burger has developed at lightning speed since Rutzler’s first taste. To make the meat, scientists take a small amount of animal stem cells, and grow thousands of thin strands of muscle tissue. Beef, pork, poultry, seafood and even chicken nuggets are currently in the works.

Start-ups in America, Israel and the Netherlands are leading the way, receiving millions in funding, and last December the first steak not requiring the slaughter of a cow was grown in a lab. They cost just $50 (£37) to produce – and in time, prices will plummet further.

“Lab-grown meat has the potential to spare billions of animals all the cruelty of factory farming” – Elisa Allen

“It’s a technology which gives us a completely new view on the development of food,” adds Rützler. “It could change how we eat.”

Lab-grown meat is expected to be widely available within five years. We could be on the cusp of something truly revolutionary: guilt-free meat, of consistent quality, and potentially made at home. Companies argue lab-grown meat will improve our diets currently high in saturated fat, halt the superbug crisis caused by mass farming’s overuse of antibiotics, increase the safety and reliability of our food systems, eradicate animal slaughter, and significantly reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

The role lab-grown meat could play in tackling climate change is compelling. The UN has calculated that animal farming is responsible for 14.5% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Growing populations and climate change are putting an increasing strain on our food systems. According to the UN, global meat consumption is projected to increase 70% by 2050, and the worldwide population will reach 9.8 billion. But vegan diets aren’t for everyone – and alternative sources of protein such as insects, algae and mushrooms are being explored on a huge scale.

For that reason, lab-grown meat has support from animal rights campaigners – currently the process requires cells to be taken from living animals, but soon that won’t be necessary. “Lab-grown meat has the potential to spare billions of animals all the cruelty of factory farming, the terror of transportation, and an agonising death in an abattoir,” says Elisa Allen, director of PETA, the US-based animal rights organisation.

“We could be on the cusp of something truly revolutionary: guilt-free meat, of consistent quality, and potentially made at home”

“We want to create a new method of producing real meat so we can feed the growing population using production methods that are sustainable,” says Sarah Lucas of the Maastricht-based Mosa Meats, the soon-to-be team of 30 who created the first burger in 2013. By 2021, the company will be selling its first mainstream product to consumers.

But some questions linger over whether lab-grown meat is a safer choice for our environment. Unlike rearing cattle, lab-grown meat would not produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas, but it does produce CO2, which takes thousands of years to disappear from the atmosphere (methane takes just 12).