Meat cultivated from cow cells is kosher, Israel's chief rabbi rules
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[January 20, 2023]
By Ari Rabinovitch
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's chief rabbi has given a kosher stamp of
approval this week to a company looking to sell steak grown from cow
cells - while effectively taking the animal itself out of the equation.
Cultivated meat, grown from animal cells in a lab or manufacturing
plant, has been getting a lot of attention as a way to sidestep the
environmental toll of the meat industry and address concerns over animal
welfare.
This method, however, has raised questions over religious restrictions,
like kashrut in Judaism or Islam's halal.
Jewish dietary law designates kosher meat as having come from a cow
slaughtered in accordance with ritual - and requires that it be kept and
consumed separately from dairy.
Chief Rabbi David Lau weighed in on the issue for the first time,
telling the Israeli firm Aleph Farms, which last year closed a $105
million funding round co-led by Abu Dhabi's ADQ, that the cultivated
thin-cut steaks it hopes to start selling this year are indeed kosher.
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Aleph Farms says it collects sample cells from a living animal and then
grows more in a cultivator that mimics conditions in the animal's body.
This is different from popular plant-based alternatives that do not have
animal origins.
In an 11-page letter dated Jan. 17 to the company outlining the
production process and referencing Jewish legal precedent, Lau said the
product falls into the category of "parve" - meaning neither meat nor
dairy. But he required it be clearly marketed as a meat alternative to
avoid confusion with conventional meats.
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![](../images/012023PIX/news_i93.jpg)
The logo of Aleph Farms, an Israeli
company producing lab-grown steak from cow cells, is seen at their
office in Rehovot, Israel June 26, 2019. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
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While the decision was specific for Aleph Farm's process, it sets a
foundation for others. A spokesperson for Lau said they have
received similar requests from a number of companies.
Aleph Farm CEO Didier Toubia called Lau's ruling a "benchmark, a
reference-point for many other kosher organizations in Israel and
abroad."
And beyond that, Toubia said, it was a first step that will
hopefully be followed by certification in the much bigger halal food
market and even approval for Hindus, many of whom consider cows holy
and do not eat beef.
Aleph Farms, which has actor Leonardo DiCaprio as an advisory board
member, hopes to start selling its cultured thin-cut steaks to
Israeli restaurants this year, pending approval by the Health
Ministry, and in Singapore.
It is working on approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture
and Food and Drug Administration ahead of an expected rollout there
next year.
(Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch; Editing by Josie Kao)
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