Lab-Grown Meat: Halachic Status

Question

A number of companies are coming out with lab grown meat including beef and chicken. What is the status of these products with regard to kashrut?

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Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    Good question! The concept of lab-grown meat has raised all kinds of interesting and complex halachic question marks. Perhaps the first one is how was the meat engineered. If it was using cells from an animal, that carries with it various complications that need to be addressed. For example, if the original cells come from a Kosher animal. If there was Shechitah. If the resulting “meat” from the laboratory is considered to be meat or pareve according to the Halacha.

    There is a comprehensive rundown of the various problems and the various approaches that can be read at:
    https://staff.ncsy.org/education/education/material/jzJw8lSvct/a-kosher-cheeseburger-the-halachic-status-of-synthetic-beef/

    I hope you find it helpful and illuminating.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team