SUBJECT:
LAB GROWN MEAT
PURPOSE:
This briefing note is a recommendation for changes in policy pertaining
to the vending of ground meat.
ISSUE:
There is needs to be domestic restrictions implemented for the selling
of ground meat of that which are not lab grown.
Background:
Foodborne disease affects millions of
people around the world. According to
the WHO every year, 1 in 10 people fall ill and 33 million life years are
lost. Ground meat is very dangerous. It potentially contains such disease as E.
coli, Salmonella, Listeria, Campylobacter jejuni and Staphylococcus aureus. Additionally, there have been cases of
Spongiform Encephalopathy, Swine Flu and Avian Flu affecting the population. We will look at each of these mentioned above
from a closer lens, specifically explaining how our food is potentially at risk
and what could be done to reduce the risk to people.
E. coli is one of the main pathogens found
in beef. It can be found in the feces of
cows. Bacteria are usually found on the
surface of the meat. Ground meat
contains mixtures of meat including surface meat that may perhaps contain
bacteria. Not only is E. coli found in
the intestines of cattle, it could be found chicken, sheep and pigs. The most deadly form of E. coli is 0157:H7
which causes those who contract it, a life threatening form of kidney failure
called, Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS), young children and older adults are
most at risk. Thus, health authorities
advise that all ground meat be cooked thoroughly. Mortality rate for E. coli (STEC)
the food borne inducing strain, according to the WHO, is 3- 5%.
Salmonella is another bacteria found in the
intestines of people and animals. It
claims 1.35 million infections, 26,500 hospitalizations and 420 deaths in the
USA every year according to the CDC. Up
to 67% of chickens purchased and consumed in the USA carry the bacteria. Ground poultry is particularly prone to be
contaminated with the bacteria. Raw
poultry needs to be handled with care and if fecal matter gets into the meat, there
is a high probability that it can be tainted.
Contamination specifically occurs when the birds intestinal contents
spill onto the meat or surfaces which animals are processed. Workers thus need to be careful to practice
hygienic processes. It is possible to
eat raw chicken, however. In some
countries like Japan, they serve chicken sashimi. The chicken are not farm bred and are
carefully selected by chefs. It is the
way chickens are raised that poses a risk to the health of the consumer which
is why health authorities suggest handling techniques to minimize infection. According to Medscape, the mortality rate for
S enteritidis infection outbreaks in the USA is 0.4% from 1985 – 1991.
Listeria can be found in raw meat and poultry. This bacteria can actually be on any surface
even fruits, vegetables and milk.
However, fruits and vegetables have a protective skin which wards off
the bacteria and thorough washing can remove the bacteria. With milk, pasteurization does the job. However, with meats the bacteria can be
difficult to remove as it can hide on the crevice’s, thus meats need to be
cooked piping hot so that the bacteria is eliminated. It is good to be aware of Lysteria because it
can be present on any surface and rigorous sanitation procedures should be
upheld to reduce infection. The CDC
estimates that Listeriosis is the third leading cause of food borne illness. It causes 260 deaths a year and the majority
that are infected are hospitalized. The
fatality rate is 20%.
Campylobacter jejuni is one of the most
common causes of food poisoning in Europe and the USA. According to the Foodborne Diseases Active
Surveillance Network, 20 cases are diagnosed each year for every 100,000
infections. The CDC estimates 1.5
million infections per year. People can
get this disease by eating uncooked poultry or eating something that has
touched it. Like the illnesses mentioned
above, this disease is also treated with antibiotics. Campylobacter infection results with bloddy
diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps.
Worst case scenarios result with GBS and IBS. To combat infection, health authorities
advise that raw poultry be kept separately up to and including separate
chopping boards. Although we mention
poultry as the main vehicle of transmission, this bacteria can also be found in
other meats such as beef and seafood. The
fatality rate for this infection is 0.05 per 1000 infections.
Staph food poisoning is an illness caused
by the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus.
The CDC estimates that 25% of people and animals have Staph on their
skin and nose. Staph has the ability to create
toxins that cause foodborne illness.
Staph bacteria can multiply in the food and produce toxins. The bacteria is destroyed by using extreme
heat however, the toxins will still remain which is why food processing should
be clean. Staph poisoning is
characterized by sudden nausea, vomiting and stomach cramps. S.
aureus has a high salt tolerance and can still grow on meat. The fact that ground meat is a mixture
creates problems with integrity and increases the risk of infection. According to an article by J van Hal et al.
SAB (Staphylococcus aureus bactermia) has an incidence rate ranging from 20 –
50 cases per/ 100,000 persons and 10% - 30% die as a result.
Antibiotic resistance is a major issue when
related to bacterial infections.
Resistance can cause more aggressive strains of bacteria to emerge. It also limits the treatment options
available to health care professionals.
One major way to slow down the development of antibiotic resistance is
the appropriate use of antibiotics.
Mad Cow Disease, also known as Spongiform Encephalopathy
in beef causes CJD. Cooking the meat as
per health authority regulations does not remove the Mad Cow Disease. Although this disease is fairly rare, there
have been incidents which have caused alarm in recent history. In Alberta for example in 2011, the Canadian
Food Inspection Agency confirmed that there was Mad Cow disease found in beef
that were being sold. This disease is
believed to be caused by prions which can be passed to humans. Prions are irregular protein particles that
are difficult to destroy which is one of the main reasons why lab grown meats
need to be sold in grocery shelves.
According to Edmonton Journal as of 2015, on May 20, 2003, more than 30
countries closed their borders to Canadian beef imports because it was
discovered a cow in Alberta has Mad Cow Disease. In the UK however, it was found that the
mixed ground meat that were fed to the livestock caused them to have BSE. This in turn caused 177 people to die with
CJD in the 1980’s to 1990’s. The
survival rate of BSE is 0% which means people who contract the disease are
going to die.
In 2009 a Swine Flu pandemic hit
Canada. This virus spread to many other
countries and it became a global pandemic.
More than 18,000 people have died worldwide from H1N1 of which 428 were
Canadians. Swine flu is a respiratory
disease of pigs caused by type A Influenza virus. Swine Flu rarely affects humans however, as
mentioned it is still a potential risk to be eliminated if society commences
the rollout of lab grown meats. According
to the London Post, H1N1 has a fatality rate of 17.40%.
Avian flu occurs when birds are infected
with Type A influenza virus. Infected
birds shed the virus through their saliva, mucous and feces. There are at least 15 types of avian
flu. The USA experiences less than 1000
cases in humans per year. Symptoms
usually start with normal flu-like symptoms however severe complications can
result in Sepsis, Pneumonia, Organ Failure and Acute Respiratory Distress. Those labelled H5, H7 and H10 cause death in
humans. From 2003 – 2020 there have been
thus far 862 known cases of Influenza A (H5N1) and 455 deaths, per the
WHO. As of 2008 the WHO claims that the
case- fatality rate for H5N1 is around 60%.
The way to combat these viruses is to have
animals be vaccinated. Further, there
are vaccines available to the population however, awareness of them is not
widespread. To add insult to injury,
these vaccines are very expensive which means that, they have not penetrated
enough to make it profitable as per the concept of diffusion of
innovation. Regardless, as the years go
by, the prices for these vaccines should gradually go down.
Temperatures of 165 F or higher destroy the
bacteria found in meat. However, for viruses,
it seems that vaccination of animals are the main method to ensure safety. Ground meats as mentioned is a mixture of
mashed up meats. According to the Center
For Science in Public Interest, consumers believe that this meat comes from a
single animal. In fact, a single burger
can contain meat from up to 12- 20 animals.
Further, some ground meat are mixed from other ground meat from animals
coming from different parts of the world.
This clearly poses a health risk especially the parts used for ground
meat are the areas most likely to be contaminated with feces. Thus, the perception of lab grown meats and
the way it is advertised must take advantage of these facts so that public
opinion can be swayed.
Considerations:
Lab grown meat is cultivated by taking a
small amount of muscle tissue from the animal.
These cells are placed in a liquid that nourishes it. The cells multiply by 100 trillion fold over
7 – 8 weeks and start to actually materialize muscle cells. Groups of 1.5 million fuse into a strand. A gel column is then added and the fibers
form a 1mm ring around it. This is done
to trigger protein formation. Cells are
to be kept in body temperature. The
rings are then harvested and cut into strips and then layered with separately
grown fat. 3 ounces requires 10000
strips. There are several companies
producing lab- grown meat of which include Mosa Meats, Shiok Meats, JUST,
Memphis Meats, Aleph Farms, BluNalu and Finless Foods. These companies produce various meats
including steak, seafood, tuna, chicken and duck. For the purposes of this briefing not we will
focus on beef, lamb, poultry and pork.
The benefit of cultured meat is that the slaughtering of animals will
stop. Further, resources such as water
and feed are no longer necessary. It is
also a better alternative to over hunting and over fishing. Oxford specifically claims that lab grown
meat uses up to 96% less water and 99% less land and produces at most 96% less
green house gas. In fact food causes 1/4
of pollution. So far, the consensus is
that consumers are very weary of lab grown meats. The price is also of concern, since it is a
new technology, it is likely the price will exceed regular meat. The stakeholders for this matter are as
follows, the government, private business relating to the sales of both meat
obtained from livestock and lab grown meat and the consumer.
Options:
Option 1:
Ban the sale of ground meat and promote export.
As it becomes evident ground meat is very
dangerous and increases the risk of obtaining foodborne illness. By selecting this option, we are then
commencing of the conversion to lab grown meats. This is very sustainable as it will prevent
potential fatalities, also it assists in the reduction of pollution and reduces
the resources used to feed and nourish livestock. For example, there will be more drinking
water available. Water is an invaluable
resources and we should seek to preserve it.
The feed that the livestock consume create unnecessary wastage of this
precious resource. With these benefits
however, the vendors and manufacturers of such feed are implicated. The government needs to give these
stakeholders tax breaks so they can adopt to the changes that are being made. Further, they should be given other
incentives as grants to create new innovations by which they can continue to
ascertain revenue. These companies,
should not be overlooked because it is these people that have made it possible
for persons such as we to be able to have food on our tables. They essentially are the backbone of the
industry, without a source of nutrition for the livestock, we would not have
the meats available. This option ensures
equity as people would be safer eating lab grown ground meats.
Option 2:
Ban the domestic sale of meats from live stock.
The global value of the meat industry is
945.7 billion dollars in 2018. By 2023
It will be worth 945.7 billion. The
government needs to provide nudges to meat vendors that they should begin
investing in cultured meat. Such example
of adaptability is Tyson Foods corp. who invested in Memphis Meats. Vendors for meat should take note that the
industry is going to go through a rapid change within the next two
decades. By investing in cultured meat,
these meat producing companies can ensure their position in the future market
of meat. By banning domestic sales of
meat obtained from livestock, the government keeps the door open for
export. The export of meat should still
be viable as less fortunate countries will still be consuming meat obtained
from livestock. This is the least
feasible option however it is the most sustainable. The government needs to work on the
perception of cultured meat and that is going to take some time. The socialization of society into accepting
lab grown meat is an erroneous task however, it is possible. From the Canadian context, the adoption of cultured
meat respects nature and helps establish a solid footing for the indigenous
heritage.
Option 3:
Promote rigorous testing of all meats that are sold.
This option is very feasible. In fact, all meats should undergo testing to
prevent the effects of foodborne illness.
As mentioned herein, it becomes clear that the threat foodborne illness creates
for people is very large. By rigorously testing
any meat sold, society can be ensured that they receive equity from the
government. This is also sustainable as
it would reduce the risks associated with eating meat obtained from livestock. The government should consider giving people
working in the meat industry, the expensive vaccinations. This will not only reduce the price of said inoculations
but will ensure peoples safety is priority.
Option 4:
Mixture of option 1, 2 and 3.
This could be a feasible option depending
on the degree to which each are enacted.
Mixing options 1, 2 and 3 can very well mean that we are slowly transitioning
to lab grown meat. Before selecting this
option however, the government must work to fix the perception of lab grown
meat. Do people want one source of meat
that the cells from the host are changed every so often, or do they want to
continue to eat a single meal produced from multiple animals? Perception is key and society needs to be
socialized adequately so that they can be educated in the benefits of lab grown
meat.
Option 5:
Status quo: Not working which is
why we have options.
The current way that meat is produced is
not sustainable. We need to implement
more sustainable ways to feed people.
Lab grown meat provides a future that not only respects biodiversity but
has the ability to ensure that each person on the planet is well fed. Therefore, this option is the least
sustainable. Selecting this option is
the safest and most feasible but, the incidents of foodborne illness will persist. Are these deaths something that the industry
can stomach? The government needs to act
to ensure that the people have equity.
Recommendation:
Option four is recommended.
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