Cultivated Meat and the Global Food Crisis: Technology as an Amplifier, Not a Panacea

Summary

In this Tech Tomorrow episode, host David Ellerman speaks with Ikht Dunsford, CEO of Cellular Agriculture Limited, about cultivated or lab-grown meat and its potential to help with the global food crisis. The conversation explains how hollow fibre membranes in bioreactors enable cells from animals to be grown and processed into foods that match traditional meat in nutrition and taste while potentially reducing land, water use, and methane emissions. The guests emphasize that cultivated foods are likely to complement rather than replace conventional farming and that inputs still come from agriculture. They discuss scaling challenges, regulatory progress, and the need for policy and economic incentives to reach scale.

Overview

The episode features a discussion between the Tech Tomorrow host, David Ellerman of Zila, and Ikht Dunsford, CEO and co-founder of Cellular Agriculture Limited, about whether technology can address the global food crisis. The dialogue frames cultivated or lab-grown meat as a coexisting option with traditional farming, not a wholesale replacement, and highlights the environmental rationale for pursuing new production methods. A central thread is the use of hollow fibre membrane bioreactors to grow animal cells directly, delivering a product that is nutritionally similar to conventional meat while potentially cutting resource use and greenhouse gas emissions.

"I don’t think anybody believes cultivated foods will replace animal farming, it’s something that will be complementary" - Ikht Dunsford

The Technology and its Scale

The core technology is hollow fibre membrane systems, which mimic vascular networks to supply nutrients and remove waste at the cellular level, reducing stress on cells during growth. The interview traces the journey from a 60 millimetre reactor prototype to a modular, scalable approach designed for industrial-scale production. The guests emphasize a scale-out, modular strategy rather than sprawling stainless steel vats, and note that the largest hollow fibre membrane component built so far is not required at full industrial scale because smaller scales can perform just as well. The discussion also notes that while cultivated meat can lower environmental impacts, inputs like glucose will continue to originate from traditional agriculture, so farming will not disappear, but will operate more efficiently.

"True breakthroughs can't be rushed, they need the right confluence of technology, infrastructure, and market readiness." - David Ellerman

Why This Matters

Environmentally, cultivated meat promises reduced land and water use and lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to ruminant livestock. The interview cites life-cycle analyses showing potential reductions of around 50% in land and water use with comparable nutrition and taste. The guests acknowledge climate risks to traditional supply chains—such as coffee and chocolate—driving interest in alternative inputs that can be produced with smaller footprints. Yet they stress that cultivated foods are not a panacea; they will rely on inputs from existing agricultural systems, and regulatory and market readiness will shape the speed of adoption.

"Definitely not. I think humans can have a huge impact." - Ikht Dunsford

The discussion situates cultivated meat within a broader investment landscape, noting that several products have gained regulatory approval in various regions and that consumer acceptance will hinge on price, flavor parity, and the perceived environmental benefits. The interview draws a parallel with software development, describing a patient, staged approach to scale similar to the ladder of innovation where ambitious visions are broken into achievable milestones. Government support and strategic funding are identified as critical to moving from R&D to consumer-ready products, with the UK cited as an example of rising public investment in early-stage research and manufacturing scale-up.

"The sweet spot is ambitious but achievable goals that others haven't recognised yet. Think evolution and not revolution." - David Ellerman

Looking ahead, the conversation contemplates a future where traditional groceries offer both conventional livestock products and cultivated alternatives, allowing consumers to choose based on flavor, nutrition, price, and environmental impact. The host reflects on the broader question of whether technology alone can solve systemic problems like world hunger or climate change, underscoring that technology amplifies human decisions and policy choices. The panel acknowledges the risk that focus on techno-solutionism can divert attention from other societal changes needed to address sustainability and equity.

"Technology is a powerful amplifier; it amplifies human decisions, both good and bad." - Host, David Ellerman