The climate impact and land use of cultivated meat: Evaluating agricultural feedstock production

Besides glucose and amino acids as main components of the cell media, electrical energy is another major input in CM production, since there is no complete organism regulating cell temperature like in animals [41]. So far, there is no research that investigates optimization opportunities in land use for pro- ducing the macronutrients (glucose and amino acids) and renewable electricity required to enable CM production. This study evaluates the use of agricultural feedstock and land use for cultivated pork pro- duction in terms of macro nutrients and energy demand. We use linear programming to opti- mize CM output per land area based on the cell nutrient and energy demand as well as crop yield and crop rotation restrictions. The optimized land use demand for CM is compared to land use requirements of pork production. In addition, we quantify the climate impact of land use through carbon opportunity cost. To apply this approach to a specific region we use yields and crop rotation restrictions of southern Germany. This region has the environmental conditions to grow a large variety of crops with relatively high yields and robust data. This paper unfolds as follows: Section 2 delves into the background of CM, charting its technological background, environmental implications, land use, economic viability, and impact on agriculture. Section 3 elucidates our methodology—encompassing data acquisition, analytical techniques, and the structure of linear optimization. Section 4 showcases our results,

which we subsequently discuss. The paper culminates with reflections on our findings and an outline for future research trajectories. 2. Background of cultivated meat Technical and environmental aspects of CM production, innovative approaches, regulatory challenges, and the importance of transparent and accurate information for consumer accep- tance will be described in this section. CM research is in its early stages, focusing on promising narratives, understanding consumer behavior, and exploring technical and regulatory feasibil- ity [23, 32, 36, 47]. CM provides an alternative to conventional animal farming, potentially leading to a more sustainable and ethical meat production system by eliminating the need for animal slaughter and rearing. CM’s market introduction could significantly impact monogas- tric animal production by producing fewer by-products and not using land unsuitable for human food production [29]. Around the world, many startups have ventured into the CM industry, securing significant funding [51]. However, for successful market introduction, it is crucial to address production techniques, scaling challenges, environmental concerns, regulatory hurdles, and consumer acceptance [23, 25, 41, 52, 53]. Several technical challenges hinder CM from becoming a viable alternative to conventional meat. A primary concern is the industry’s reliance on fetal bovine serum for cell culture, which is ethically contentious and not scalable. Efforts are underway to develop serum-free alternatives [32, 54]. Criticism states that Moore’s law, speaking of an

almost linear cost to doubling output relation, is not applicable to biological systems [12]. Another challenge is replicating the texture and flavor of traditional meat, as current CM pro- duction results in disorganized muscle fibers that lack the complex structure of conventional meat cuts [55]. Additionally, assessing the nutritional quality of CM, particularly its micronu- trient composition and overall health implications, requires further research and technological advancement [54, 55]. From a regulatory standpoint, CM is being managed differently across the globe. Singapore leads with early approvals and frequent updates. China and India are in the process of develop- ing their frameworks. Japan, South Korea, Australia-New Zealand, and the EU regulate under PLOS ONE Evaluating agricultural feedstock for cultivated meat PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0316480 January 22, 2025 3 / 27