Cultured meat can be kosher and halal

According to Orthodox Jewish authorities and sharia experts, cultured meat can be kosher and halal if it meets certain production criteria.

• The Orthodox Union has certified cultivated chicken produced by an Israeli company as kosher because the stem cells are taken from fertilized eggs and not from live animals.
• According to experts, cultured meat could also meet halal rules for Muslims.
• Cultured meat producers can aim for a new market share.

Jews And Muslims Orthodox eat only food that meets the criteria established by the religion, defined kosher in the first case e halal in the second.These mainly concern the meat, for example the type of animal permitted, the method of slaughter, the prohibition on consuming blood:if these rules are clear regarding traditional meat, doubts arise in the case of cultured meat.

In recent days some experts and authorities have spoken out on the topic, stating that even meat produced in a laboratory can be kosher or halal.The news has been greeted with enthusiasm by cultured meat producers who can imagine one new market share.It is estimated that in the United States alone, more than 12 million people eat kosher products and 8 million eat halal products.

Chicken grown in Israel has been certified kosher

Last September 6th, theOrthodox Union, the world's largest and most influential kosher certification authority, has certified chicken products as kosher of the Israeli startup SuperMeat marking a step forward towards the acceptance of food technology according to Jewish dietary law. Under kosher regulations, meat products must come from slaughtered animals and nothing can be derived from a living creature.SuperMeat's certified products circumvent these restrictions by growing meat from stem cells from fertilized eggs before blood stains appear.

Cultured meat is presented by producers as an ethical and sustainable alternative to traditional meat and after environmentalists, vegans and vegetarians, there is an attempt to conquer the Orthodox too:“Aligning our technology with kosher dietary laws has immense significance for us,” he said in a statement. Ido Savir, CEO of SuperMeat – This step represents our commitment to inclusiveness and respect for diverse dietary needs, making our cultured chicken meat accessible to audiences around the world.”

Cultured meat can be halal

“It's another indicator that cultured meat can be a real solution,” he said Josh Tetrick, CEO of the American Eat Just which owns the brand Good Meat.The company convened a panel of three sharia experts who examined the company's production and who said on September 10 that cultured meat can be halal if, among other factors, the cells from which the meat is produced come from from a animal slaughtered according to Islamic law.Currently the meat produced by Good Meat, which has received the approval for consumption in the United States, does not meet this criterion, but according to the company the direction in which to proceed is now clearer.