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Buddhist perspectives on cultivated meat

Nature Food volume 4, pages 346–347 (2023)Cite this article

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Around half the global population follow specific rules and customs around meat consumption according to their religious status1. Proponents of cultivated meat typically focus on the benefits for environmental issues, animal welfare, safety, health2 and issues of taste, cost, process and vegetarian reactions3, yet there has been little discussion outside of religious communities on how cultivated meat may, or may not, align with religious consensus on the technology.

The dietary laws of Judaism and Islam state that meat should be obtained from an animal slaughtered according to religious guidelines. Hinduism has a tradition of ahimsa, or non-violence, which extends to all forms of life. There has been some discussion on whether cultivated meat is Kosher (consumable under Jewish dietary laws) or Halal (compliant with Islamic laws) and what should be done if there is no animal available to fulfil Hindu ritual practices4. Some Hindus may be opposed to the production of cultivated meat because they believe it is cruel to the animal cells used to produce it, yet one survey of 730 Hindus found that 68% would eat cultivated chicken, 65% would eat cultivated goat, 20% would eat cultivated pork and 19% would eat cultivated beef5. Among those who follow Islam, cultivated meat is likely to be accepted — if the production complies with their religious teachings regarding meat in the diet6. In Judaism, the person who will ultimately decide whether cultivated meat is Kosher according to the Orthodox Union’s Kosher certification scheme seems to already be deeply interested in cultivated meat products, although the Jewish community is divided on whether such meat is Kosher7.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Buddhist Studies, Dongguk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Junghyun Kwon (Ven. Jahun)

  2. Education Bureau, Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Junghyun Kwon (Ven. Jahun)

  3. Jeonggakwon, Dongguk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Junghyun Kwon (Ven. Jahun)

  4. Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Dongguk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Yooheon Park

  5. Department of Food & Medical Products Regulatory Policy, Dongguk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Yooheon Park

Authors
  1. Junghyun Kwon (Ven. Jahun)
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  2. Yooheon Park
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Correspondence to Yooheon Park.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Kwon (Ven. Jahun), J., Park, Y. Buddhist perspectives on cultivated meat. Nat Food 4, 346–347 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-023-00744-7

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