Is Lab-Grown Meat Tested on Animals?

Seared chicken breasts on the menu without killing a single chicken? It’s possible! Real ground beef, duck, and chicken can now be produced in humane, clean laboratory settings. PETA has long been an advocate of lab-grown meats—called “cultivated meat” in the industry—and recently awarded a graduate student at the University of Cambridge for his plan to create a first-of-its-kind “cell bank” that will archive and preserve primary cells for meat cultivation that are already available and end the killing of more animals to develop these products. Exciting developments like this mark the beginning of a global shift in conscientious eating that will save billions of animals each year from suffering on farms.

Cultivated meat companies are jumping on this emerging trend, and while keeping animals out of slaughterhouses, these companies also need to keep animals out of laboratories. This means addressing two key areas where animals may be used: making cultivated meat products and testing when seeking government approval to sell these products to consumers. The best news? No animals need to be used, and PETA scientists stand ready to help.

What Are Lab-Grown Meats? How Are They Made?

Cultivated meats, also called cell-based meats or in vitro meats, are proteins made from animal cells, which can be collected without killing any animals. In the lab, animal cells are placed into a nutrient-rich liquid that helps them grow and reproduce, eliminating the cruelty inherent in animal agriculture methods.

The result is real flesh tissue that can be cooked and used in the same ways that other meats are used, without slaughtering a living being. 

Lab-Grown Meats and Animal Testing: Facts, Myths, What to Know

To bring cultivated meats to supermarkets and restaurants, companies must first deem them safe to eat. In many countries, governmental food safety testing requirements are written unclearly, especially regarding emerging cultivated meat markets. This leaves some companies unsure if they are required to test their cultivated meat products on animals to satisfy regulatory authorities.

In the United States, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines do not require cultivated meat products to be tested on animals—a nod to the fact that reliable non-animal approaches can be used to determine their safety. Therefore, companies can assess the safety of cultivated meat products without conducting any tests on animals. That’s why PETA scientists work with them to make sure they know that the safety of their products should only be assessed using advanced, human-relevant, non-animal test methods. PETA scientists will continue helping companies bring these meats to the market so that all animals—from the slaughterhouses to the laboratories—are spared suffering.

PETA Makes It Easy to Call Out Which Companies Test on Animals

As we celebrate the long-awaited arrival of cultivated meat, there’s still work ahead of us to stop food and beverage companies from using animals. PETA’s revolutionary “Eat Without Experiments” program makes it easy for consumers to check which food and beverage companies abstain from or contribute to tests on animals.