Replacing traditional agriculture of land, water, sun, plants, animals, and soil with synthetic lab-grown meat relies on the same process that literally, figuratively, and actually gives humans cancer! Ok, let me say that again: Lab-grown meat production involves continuous cell replication, often achieved through techniques like telomerase activation and genetic manipulation.
The Process of Cell Replication
Telomerase is an enzyme that extends the lifespan of cells by maintaining the length of telomeres, which are protective caps on the ends of chromosomes. In normal cells, telomerase activity is low, but in cancer cells, telomerase is often unregulated, allowing these cells to replicate indefinitely. Similarly, lab-grown meat cells are engineered to replicate continuously to produce sufficient meat, which mimics the uncontrolled cell division seen in cancer.
Genetic Manipulation and Oncogenes
Additionally, genetic manipulation used to promote cell growth and differentiation also introduces oncogenes—genes that also cause cancer. These oncogenes push cells into a state of rapid, uncontrolled division, increasing the risk of genetic mutations. In cancer, these mutations accumulate over time, leading to the formation of malignant tumors. The same risk of mutation accumulation exists in the lab-grown meat production process, raising major concerns about the long-term safety of consuming such products. Basically, they do not know what is going to happen. Once again, there are no long-term health studies. Once again, we are the long-term health study.
The Unknowns and Risks
We might as well catch an alien—cut it up, put it on the BBQ, eat it, and see what happens to us. Will our bodies digest it? Will we die? Will we get sick? Who the fork knows...
Australian Companies Leading the Way
Sadly for Aussies, several companies in Australia are at the forefront of this innovation. Vow, a Sydney-based company, has received approval from Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FS#NZ) for its cultured quail meat, marking the first such approval in the country. Another company, Magic Valley, plans to submit its cultured pork and lamb products for production later in 2024. Perfect Day, a startup, uses precision fermentation to make milk, cheese, and egg-like products without cows. They genetically engineer yeast to produce these products. Even though these products are completely synthetic, they are labeled GMO-free. The same goes for lab meat; it’s labeled GMO-free.
The Growing Concern
Our supermarkets are already saturated with bioengineered synthetic ingredients found everywhere, but it's the tampering with the 'fresh food' section that is exponentially becoming Mad Science. I highly recommend the video below in comments—if you want to get a bit Edgar Allan Poe on your shopping list and freak yourselves right out with the future of the Australian food chain. This makes pesticides look like icing sugar!