Fake Meat: The Troubling Truth

by Mila McManus, MD

The troubling truth about fake meat is that some of them are made using animal blood derivatives and genetically engineered ingredients, raising serious health and ethical concerns.

In recent years, “fake meat” products have flooded the marketplace, marketed as sustainable, cruelty-free alternatives to traditional animal products. But a closer look reveals a troubling truth: some of these so-called plant-based or lab-grown alternatives are made using animal blood derivatives and genetically engineered ingredients. This not only raises serious health and ethical concerns but also exposes loopholes in our food safety system that allow untested products onto grocery shelves.

How Fake Meat is Made with Animal Blood

One of the most controversial processes involves the use of heme, an iron-containing molecule that gives meat its characteristic flavor and color. To produce heme for fake meat, companies have turned to genetic engineering, inserting animal DNA into yeast or bacteria to create a lab-derived version of what is naturally found in blood. In some cases, fetal bovine serum—literally harvested from the blood of unborn calves—has been used as a growth medium for lab-grown cells.

While the marketing of these products suggests they are vegan or vegetarian-friendly, the truth is more complicated. If animal blood is part of the process, then these foods cannot honestly be called vegan—or even cruelty-free. This blurring of lines misleads consumers who seek to avoid animal exploitation altogether.

An Ethical Red Line

The use of animal blood in fake meat is not only a health issue, but also an ethical one. For people who choose plant-based eating out of concern for animals, being misled into eating products that rely on animal exploitation is a betrayal. True vegan and vegetarian values demand honest labeling, ethical transparency, and respect for consumer choice.

The FDA’s “GRAS” Loophole

Adding to the concern is how these products are approved. Many fake meat companies rely on the “Generally Recognized As Safe” (GRAS) loophole. This provision allows companies to self-certify the safety of new food ingredients without rigorous, independent FDA review. In other words, corporations can essentially police themselves when it comes to declaring novel lab-made additives as safe for public consumption.

Even more troubling, genetically engineered ingredients and lab-grown animal cell products are often exempt from traditional premarket safety testing. Instead of conducting long-term studies on human health, companies can enter the market with minimal oversight, leaving consumers to serve as test subjects.

Why It Matters for Your Health

We are only beginning to understand the long-term effects of consuming genetically modified yeast products, synthetic heme, and lab-grown animal cells. The lack of independent, peer-reviewed research means that questions remain unanswered about potential risks such as:

Allergic reactions to novel proteins
Gut microbiome disruption
Long-term toxicity or carcinogenicity
Unknown impacts of growth serums and genetic manipulation

Consumers deserve transparency and thorough safety testing—not a corporate experiment masquerading as a healthy, sustainable alternative.

What You Can Do

We must hold regulators accountable and demand that new, genetically engineered, or lab-grown food products undergo rigorous premarket safety testing before they reach our plates. The FDA should close loopholes that allow corporations to declare their own creations as safe without independent oversight. Consumers have the right to know what’s in their food, how it’s made, and whether it’s truly safe for long-term health. It’s time to put people before profits.

One way to use your voice and your vote is to support consumer advocate organizations, such as the Environmental Working Group (https://ewg.org) or the Organic Consumers Association (https://organicconsumers.org/). Both organizations are influential in Washington, advocating for our health. Readers who wish to comment on FDA oversight of novel foods can submit feedback via the FDA’s public comment portal at https://www.fda.gov/.

Don’t Eat Fake Meat. Be Well.

References:

Center for Food Safety. (2021). GRAS loophole: FDA fails to ensure food safety. Retrieved from https://www.centerforfoodsafety.org

https://organicconsumers.org/organic-bytes-newsletter-908-lab-grown-meats-should-be-banned/

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). (2022). Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS). https://www.fda.gov/food/food-ingredients-packaging/generally-recognized-safe-gras

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). (2018). GRAS notice for soy leghemoglobin preparation derived from Pichia pastoris. GRN No. 737. https://www.fda.gov/media/111697/download

Stephens, N., et al. (2018). Bringing cultured meat to market: Technical, socio-political, and regulatory challenges. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 78, 155–166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2018.04.010

By Mila McManus MD|2025-09-23T10:15:37-05:00September 24th, 2025|Articles, General|

By Mila McManus, MD

We shared our concerns about making “food” using cultured animal cells. Fake meat, like the Impossible Burger, is one good example.

In mid-February, we shared our concerns about making “food” using cultured animal cells. And April 2022 we wrote about plant-based “meats”. Thankfully, it appears there are signs we are not the only ones concerned. This may be more of a fad, along with a power grab attempt, than a permanent change in the way Americans eat. Here are some reasons to hold out hope:

Many consider it conspicuous that Bill Gates has become one of the largest owners of American farmland as of May 2022. He is also a proponent of proliferating fake meat products made from GMO Soy and other controversial ingredients. Is fake meat a profit pushing gig at the expense of human and environmental health?
Shares for Impossible Foods have dropped dramatically, and Bloomberg reports the company recently laid off 20% of its workforce.
One compound, soy leghemoglobin (SLH) used to make fake meat look raw and bleeding, is derived from genetically -modified yeast, and has been shown in animal models to be associated with anemia, kidney disease, and weight gain. The European Patent Office has revoked Impossible Foods’ European Union patent due to this concern as well as other flavor precursor molecules. The FDA also has questioned if arguments presented in favor of allowing Impossible Food’s products to be considered GRAS (“Generally Recognized As Safe”) establish such safety.

We continue to hold firmly to the belief that cultured animal cells and GMO soy mixed with other flavor enhancers is not real food but a highly MAN-ufactured food. Be real. Eat real.

References:

https://www.naturalhealth365.com/is-the-fake-meat-empire-collapsing-startling-revelations-point-to-a-bleak-future.html

Bloomberg.com

GMwatch.org

Childrenshealthdefense.org

By Mila McManus MD|2023-03-20T10:43:55-05:00March 22nd, 2023|Articles, General|

By Mila McManus, MD

The Plant Based non-meat “meat” industry is taking off as many proponents of a greener planet argue that eliminating the beef industry will save the planet. According to an article published in Wise Traditions Winter 2021 issue, called Reading Between the Lines: Fake Meat and Other Fake Foods: Synthetic Biology Wolves in “Sustainable” Sheep’s Clothing, the author Merinda Teller says there is a “lab-grown meat stampede… a full scale agenda to remove the meat industry entirely led by Future Meat Technologies, the FDA and USDA, as well as NASA, various universities, Bill Gates, Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, Eat Just, Upside Foods, Tyson Foods, Amazon, and the World Economic Forum among others” (p.49-50). Alternatively, The Westin A. Price Foundation and the Environmental Working Group would argue that we can, and do, produce foods of all kinds, and meat specifically, in clean, green, sustainable ways.

It’s interesting how these fake meat producers are trying to make it look, cook, smell, and taste like meat, and they are using the word “meat” in some context on the label. It’s NOT meat. Nothing about wheat, soy, or the lab grown mold called mycoprotein is meat. It seems an oxymoronic to call plant-based food “meat”. It is a fake food in the sense that there is nothing about the end product that occurs organically in nature, the way food is grown or produced traditionally. The product is a result of man concocting a combination of foods, combining man-made chemicals and processed proteins into something mysteriously edible.

Read ingredient labels very carefully and know what you are eating. For example, Gardein’s Plant-based Chick’n Filets contain wheat and wheat gluten, soy protein isolate, textured wheat protein, yeast extract, canola oil, and fructose, to name a few, on the otherwise long list of ingredients. Needless to say, if you are gluten sensitive or celiac, or have allergies or sensitivities to soy, yeast, or MSG, this would raise concerns. In general, we recommend avoiding omega-6 rich inflammatory oils (such as canola, soybean, corn, and cottonseed oils) and added sugars (fructose, dextrose, maltodextrin, high fructose corn sugar, tapioca syrup). Quorn makes their “meatless pieces” with 93% mycoprotein, a mold grown in laboratories. Added to that are yeast extract, egg whites and sugar. IncogMeato is made from water, soy protein concentration, canola oil, dextrose, and yeast extract. Impossible Foods touts their plant-based heme (iron) made from fermentation of genetically engineered yeast, soy, and potato protein. And JUST EGG uses Mung Bean Protein Isolate, expeller-pressed canola oil, sugar, and tapioca syrup, tetrasodium pyrophosphate (what?), transglutaminase (huh?), and nisin (say that again?). All of the Impossible Foods meat replacement products contain soy protein which is a common food allergen. Moreover, unless specified certified organic, there’s an extremely high chance it’s genetically modified.

One of the cleanest and simplest ingredient lists we found was Dr. Praeger’s Sensible Foods Perfect Plant Based Ground for meatballs, tacos, and burgers. While we might not go as far as “perfect”, it is comparably a much better, whole food ingredient list. It is gluten free and vegan with 20 grams of protein. The ingredient list contains only 12 ingredients which are hydrated pea protein blend (water, pea protein), high oleic sunflower oil, beets, natural flavors, sweet potato puree, butternut squash puree, carrot puree, methyl cellulose, fruit, and vegetable juice (for color), oat fiber, sea salt, and onion powder. Another somewhat “better” ingredient list are the Beyond Meat products, though again, natural flavors, dried yeast, canola oil, and pea protein can each pose problems for some people.

It may be helpful to know that the top 9 food allergens in the United States that must be identified on all foods containing them include corn, soy, wheat, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, fish, dairy, and sesame. The first four are often the most altered by man by the way they are genetically modified, laden with pesticides, or in the case of eggs, fed hormones and antibiotics.

All this to say, we are still strong proponents of eating real whole food the way it occurs in nature. We encourage sustainable sources wherever possible. 100% grass fed, grass finished meats, organic farming, minimizing the use of plastics, recycling, avoiding food waste, and supporting local farmers and ranchers – all can support a cleaner, greener, world.

By Mila McManus MD|2022-04-27T16:23:44-05:00April 28th, 2022|Articles, General|

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