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In recent years, food consumption has been rapidly increasing due to global population growth and economic development in emerging countries. Demand for meat, for example, is expected to increase significantly; according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), annual global meat consumption is estimated to reach approximately 470 million tons in 2050, an increase of more than 200 million tons from the current level. However, traditional meat production, which involves raising livestock, has environmental impacts, resource constraints, and safety issues, and it has been pointed out that there are limits to its sustainability.
In fact, meat production through livestock farming is considered one of the major causes of global environmental problems such as global warming, soil degradation, and water and air pollution due to greenhouse gas emissions and the use of land, water, and agricultural resources. In addition, there are risks to meat distribution due to livestock infectious diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), which raises great concerns about the stability of food supplies in the future.
Against this backdrop, interest in health consciousness, food waste issues, and sustainability is growing worldwide, and the "sustainable food movement" that seeks sustainable ways of eating is gaining momentum. Research into "cultivated foods," which apply cell culture and tissue engineering technologies developed in the field of regenerative medicine since the 2000s, to produce food by cultivating and multiplying cells without raising animals or plants, is progressing around the world.
In particular, technological development is progressing with the aim of recreating the quality of conventional meat, such as by efficiently growing muscle cells and building tissues that mimic meat fibers, and efforts are accelerating to establish innovative food production systems that do not rely on grains or livestock. This technology is expected to reduce environmental impact, overcome food shortages and protein crises, contribute to a stable supply of meat, and even lead to the creation of a new, healthier food culture.
However, many challenges remain before it can be put to practical use. Further technological innovation and the establishment of scientific evaluation standards are required to develop products that are acceptable to society while ensuring nutritional value, taste, price, and above all, safety.
With the aim of solving these issues and promoting technological innovation, we established the Japanese Society for Cultivated Food in April 2025.
The Society brings together researchers from a variety of fields who are interested in cultured foods and are actually involved in research and development, and aims to promote the early implementation of safe, secure, and delicious cultured foods in society through technological advances and the sharing of knowledge. Furthermore, by scientifically systematizing research results and disseminating reliable information from the perspectives of nutrition and safety, the Society aims to create a new food industry through collaboration between industry, government, and academia, contribute to solving future food issues, and contribute to the realization of a sustainable society.
In recent years, food consumption has been rapidly increasing due to global population growth and economic development in emerging countries. Demand for meat, for example, is expected to increase significantly; according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), annual global meat consumption is estimated to reach approximately 470 million tons in 2050, an increase of more than 200 million tons from the current level. However, traditional meat production, which involves raising livestock, has environmental impacts, resource constraints, and safety issues, and it has been pointed out that there are limits to its sustainability.
In fact, meat production through livestock farming is considered one of the major causes of global environmental problems such as global warming, soil degradation, and water and air pollution due to greenhouse gas emissions and the use of land, water, and agricultural resources. In addition, there are risks to meat distribution due to livestock infectious diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), which raises great concerns about the stability of food supplies in the future.
Against this backdrop, interest in health consciousness, food waste issues, and sustainability is growing worldwide, and the "sustainable food movement" that seeks sustainable ways of eating is gaining momentum. Research into "cultivated foods," which apply cell culture and tissue engineering technologies developed in the field of regenerative medicine since the 2000s, to produce food by cultivating and multiplying cells without raising animals or plants, is progressing around the world.
In particular, technological development is progressing with the aim of recreating the quality of conventional meat, such as by efficiently growing muscle cells and building tissues that mimic meat fibers, and efforts are accelerating to establish innovative food production systems that do not rely on grains or livestock. This technology is expected to reduce environmental impact, overcome food shortages and protein crises, contribute to a stable supply of meat, and even lead to the creation of a new, healthier food culture.
However, many challenges remain before it can be put to practical use. Further technological innovation and the establishment of scientific evaluation standards are required to develop products that are acceptable to society while ensuring nutritional value, taste, price, and above all, safety.
With the aim of solving these issues and promoting technological innovation, we established the Japanese Society for Cultivated Food in April 2025.
The Society brings together researchers from a variety of fields who are interested in cultured foods and are actually involved in research and development, and aims to promote the early implementation of safe, secure, and delicious cultured foods in society through technological advances and the sharing of knowledge. Furthermore, by scientifically systematizing research results and disseminating reliable information from the perspectives of nutrition and safety, the Society aims to create a new food industry through collaboration between industry, government, and academia, contribute to solving future food issues, and contribute to the realization of a sustainable society.