The University of Turin has launched a crowdfunding campaign for a research project on cultured meat, CultMeat. In addition to finding sufficient funds, the objective is to bring citizens closer to a research which is still much discussed but which could really contribute to combating food insecurity and intensive farming
The initiative of theUniversity of Turin which, a few days ago, launched a crowdfunding campaign for a research project on cultured meat, CultMeat. With this move, the researchers want to both find the necessary funds and bring citizens closer to a research that is still much discussed but which could really contribute to fighting food insecurity and intensive farming.
Is cultured meat synthetic?
Cultured meat cannot be defined as synthetic in the strict sense, so this argument really doesn’t exist. In fact, if we mean by synthesis the chemical process of production using other combined substances, we are not in this case. If anything, we’re talking about biosynthesis.
Cultured meat refers to a final product biologically identical to traditional meat, but obtained through growth in a grower rather than in a whole animal, thus using the main building unit: the cells – the scientists explain on the fundraising page opened on Ginger Crowdfunding – Going into more detail, skeletal muscle cells obtained from stem cells are used
In other words, stem cells are taken from the muscles of living animals and, in a bioreactorthe conditions are generated for their replication until the formation of the tissue, biologically identical to that from where the sample was taken and therefore perfectly edible like that taken from the animal raised and then killed.
Intensive farming, a huge environmental but also health problem
To respond to the enormous demand for meat which comes mainly from the Western world, intensive farming has become increasingly widespread, farming systems where animals are very often tortured, made to grow in inhumane conditions and then killed in ways that do not always respect the laws on preventive stunning. And this alone should be enough to ban them.
But there’s much more. First of all, research has now shown that these places are among the main causes of climate change induced by human activities. The emissions of greenhouse gases produced here represent in fact the 17% of the European Union’s total emissionswhich is more than all the cars and trucks on the road combined. The numbers are alarming: Europe’s livestock industry issues theequivalent of 502 million tons of CO2 the year.
Furthermore, their implementation is contributing to deforestation in the Amazon. Over 90% of the fires in this area of the world are in fact set illegally by breeders and farmers to obtain land for the breeding of beef cattle as well as for soya plantations (used as feed for animals in intensive farming all over the world). the world).
And, as if that wasn’t enough, intensive farming is contributing to spread of diseases also transmissible to humansconstituting real time bombs for public health (just think of the cases of avian flu or of African swine feverwhich spread like wildfire, leading national and regional authorities to intervene with plans to contain the viruses, i.e. the culling of all specimens in factories where an outbreak breaks out).
The last but not the leastin these hellish places antibiotics are massively used to prevent bacterial infections, and this practice is significantly contributing to the development of resistant bacteria, which can also attack humans.
The history of meat grown in Italy
Our country “distinguished itself” in November 2023 as first and for a long time only country in the world to ban it. With 159 votes in favor of the majority, 34 abstentions and 53 votes against, the Chamber of Deputies definitively approved the DDL (strongly supported by Coldiretti), which prohibits the production, sale, administration, distribution or promotion of foods based on cell cultures , predicting fines from 10 to 60 thousand euros.
In February this year, however, the European Commission rejected the Italian law, closing the TRIS (Technical Regulations Information System) procedure early, explaining that our country, with the aforementioned ban, has violated EU legislation.
We have therefore started talking about it again and above all to look for increasingly innovative and sustainable ways for the production of this food.
The University of Turin campaign (and its aims)
The University of Turin has selected CultMeat with the third edition of the announcement Funds TOgetherdeveloped together with Ginger Crowdfundingwhich he manages Ideaginger.itthe platform with the highest success rate in Italy.
The objective is not only to raise funds for the research itself, but also to help researchers acquire the skills necessary to develop effective crowdfunding campaigns and support them financially. The University of Turin, in fact, will double the funds raised through crowdfunding with a further contribution of 10,000 euros.
And there is a third objective: with a crowdfunding campaign, citizens are directly involved and their economic contribution is also a measure of their appreciation, which supports the scientific feasibility of the project. In fact, we are now in an era where citizens must necessarily be active part of the change processes.
Crowdfunding is proving to be an extraordinary tool for involving people in this important scientific challenge
reports Alessandro Berteroscientific leader of the project.
And cultured meat can really be a process of change.
Cultured meat can represent a concrete response to environmental and cultural problems that our current food system can no longer ignore – explains Sveva Bottini, member of the Cult Meat team – (…) reduce the consumption of natural resources, reduce CO₂ emissions and ensure animal welfare These are all objectives that this project aims to achieve
Citizens’ response
As stated on the page, the campaign has raised over 10,000 euros thanks to the support of more than 235 donorsfunds that will be used to isolate porcine stem cells and purchase the materials needed to transform them into muscle cells and produce the first prototype of cultured meat.
But at least they are useful another 20,000 euros.
To support the campaign, you need to link to this link.
Sources: University of Turin / University of Turin/Youtube / Ideaginger
