Edible lab-grown fish protects sea life

Startup uses cellular biology to create lab-grown fish for a truly sustainable food chain.

https://unsplash.com/photos/65busv7PmzMPeople are eating more fish than ever before. The Finless Foods team believe this amount is likely to double by 2030. A startup based in California, Finless Foods grows fish in a lab by using cellular biology. The world’s fish are, for the most part, over-harvested and many species are in danger from polluted living environments. The company’s goal is to find a more sustainable way to enjoy the health benefits of seafood. Lab grown fish are the solution to the problem of fully exploited commercial fisheries and the over-fishing of natural stock. Myriad natural environments would regenerate if consumers and retailers chose such fish.

Currently, most fish have contaminants from environmental pollution in their bodies. These contaminants are a result of trash-filled oceans. Eventually, plastics, fungicides and many other materials that contaminate fish, are transferred to the humans who consume the fish. The Finless Foods team begin their process by gathering high-quality fish cells from real fish. The cells eat healthy ingredients that promote growth. They grow in a food-preparation facility and eventually become fish fillets. Moreover, the Finless Foods team members emphasize that lab-grown fish are real, fresh fish. There are no added ingredients or preservatives. Instead, they present a completely healthy, sustainable version of the fish swimming in oceans and rivers.

Lab grown materials can replace a variety of goods that use animal products. For example, mycelium, the basic component of mushrooms has a variety of uses. One company uses it to grow vegan leather suitable for use in clothing. It can be grown in a small space, with minimal environmental impact and coloured with other natural materials. A Dutch design studio also uses mycelium fungi as a coloring and binding agent. It holds bio-plastics made from industrial organic waste products together. What would help make these new materials more widely available to the general public?