IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2015 - 64

this reason, cultured meat could be scorned if it comes
into conflict with important values and myths. In the
United States, for example, myths of the family farm
and the cowboy lifestyle figure prominently. For others,
such as many Europeans, the agrarian landscape holds
great value [15]. Elsewhere, the livelihoods of pastoral
communities could be a pivotal factor [16].
Assuming factory production of meat is adopted, it will
introduce the potential for food to become increasingly
designed due to flexible manufacturing practices as well
as genetic modification. As the technology develops,
both humans and human institutions are likely to shift
in unpredictable ways. For example, human food preferences will almost certainly shift to embrace novel food
products. Equally possible, though less certain, is the
potential for designer food to become more integrated
with existing social institutions, perhaps serving as a
pharmaceutical delivery system or an integral part of educational curricula. In a longer-term scenario, IVM could
eventually contribute to modified human physiologies.
Regulation and policy will play important roles in
adoption decisions and influence food safety and security. At a basic level, standards of cleanliness and manufacturing practices will affect in human health and
perceptions of IVM in general. The need for, and impact
of, labeling rules is uncertain. As with GMOs, a lack
of labeling requirements might not hinder adoption,
but could incite protests from some groups. While it is
also possible that manufacturers will voluntarily label
cultured meat in order to tout its beneficial properties,
labels of any kind would have an unpredictable effect
on consumption. In terms of food security and range
management, specific policies could serve to enhance
both if IVM becomes ubiquitous, but the complexity of
these systems suggest that more analysis is required
prior to implementing any regulation.
The workshop participants made one final point not
yet discussed in this article: they warned that many risks
associated with cultured meat production simply cannot
be conceptualized at this point in the development process. While the authors believe that investigations such
as this one serve to reduce uncertainties, and so-called
"unknown unknowns," they do not alleviate the need
for ongoing monitoring of emerging technologies and
their impacts as they are developed. Technologies as
potentially significant as cultured meat will have equally
significant impacts on the world. The complex and
interconnected nature of global systems ensures that,
for every shift in the nature of food production, there
will be reactions in human norms, cultures, institutions,
and landscapes. Identifying undesirable consequences
before or as they arise can facilitate stabilizing decisions
that result in more tempered technological transitions.

Acknowledgment
This work was made possible by the generous financial support of the Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics at
Arizona State University and the Graduate College at
Arizona State University.
The authors would like to thank the scholars who
generously donated their valuable time, knowledge, and
creativity to this project.

Author Information
C. S. Mattick is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Texas School of Public Health, 1200 Hermann
Pressler Drive, Houston, TX 77030, U.S.A. Email:
Carolyn.Mattick@asu.edu.
J. M. Wetmore is with the Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes at Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
85257-5603, U.S.A. Email: Wetmore@asu.edu.
B. R. Allenby is with School of Sustainable Engineering
and the Built Environment at Arizona State University,
Tempe, AZ 85287-5306, U.S.A. Email: Braden.Allenby@
asu.edu.

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IEEE TEchnology and SocIETy MagazInE

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MARCH 2015

http://culturedbeef http://www.time.com/time/health/ http://www.culturedbeef.net/faqs/ http://www http://www.grantparrinello.com/supermeat/ http://www http://standardmedia.co.ke/lifestyle/article/2000089387/artificial-meat

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