Cultivated Meats: Pioneering Safety in Next-Gen Proteins

In a presentation at the ILSI AM2024, David Kaplan introduces the core concepts and future of cellular agriculture, focusing on the production of meat and dairy products directly from animal cells. He outlines the basic paradigm of isolating cells, multiplying them in bioreactors, and using edible scaffolding to create familiar food products without the need for traditional animal husbandry. Professor Kaplan also discusses the significant challenges facing the industry, such as scaling manufacturing, reducing costs, and ensuring safety, while highlighting the unique opportunities for “therapeutic foods” engineered for specific nutritional needs.