Kosher Status of Lab-Produced Meat?

Ask the Rov: Is lab-created cultured meat kosher? And is it pareve or fleishig?

By Rabbi Chaim Hillel Raskin – Rov of Anash in Petach Tikvah

In the past decade, technological breakthroughs have enabled scientists to produce meat in laboratory settings. Through advanced bioengineering techniques, animal cells are carefully cultured in controlled environments where they develop into muscle tissue that closely resembles natural meat in texture, appearance, and taste. In recent years, the industry for such “clean” meat has rapidly grown.

The Gemara relates that certain Amoraim were able to create a calf through their study of Sefer Yetzira and would enjoy this supernatural meat for their Shabbos meals. Several poskim observe that the prohibition of ever min hachai did not apply to such a creature. Some further note that the meat from this supernatural creation wasn’t even considered fleishig.¹

Lab-created meat, however, differs significantly as it is produced through natural biological processes starting with animal cells, and therefore retains its fundamental status. The Mishna establishes the principle that “whatever emerges from a non-kosher animal is non-kosher.”² Following this principle, the starter cells must be sourced from a kosher animal that has undergone proper shechita. Harvesting cells from a living animal would violate the prohibition of ever min hachai.

A significant halachic challenge involves the culture medium that nourishes the stem cells as they multiply and develop. Currently, most laboratory protocols utilize serum, which is derived from animal blood with the cellular components removed. While some poskim suggest this processed substance no longer retains the halachic status of blood, others maintain that it’s prohibited, and a non-blood alternative would need to be found for the culture medium.³

Assuming all kosher guidelines are meticulously followed in the cell culturing process, is the resulting meat considered fleishig?

Contemporary poskim have debated this question. Some suggest cultured meat should have a pareve status. Others maintain it would be fleishig miderabanan (similar to poultry). And a third view contends it should be classified as identical to conventional meat. At present, the prevailing ruling adopted by major Kashrus agencies is that lab-created meat produced from animal cells is fleishig min hatorah.⁴

It is worth noting that some Israeli startups are developing cultured poultry using cells obtained from fertilized eggs or embryos. In these cases, the resulting poultry product would be halachically pareve.

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From The Weekly Farbrengen by Merkaz Anash