Food Justice in Religious Laws: Hypotheses on Cultivated Meat

Religious laws significantly influence meat consumption patterns across various cultures, primarily through dietary laws and prohibitions. The comprehensive laws of religion regarding meat consumption are complex, but they all seem to share a basic principle of balance: meat is a lawful food that can be eaten within certain boundaries. These boundaries are determined by thorough assessment from two perspectives. On one hand, various religious customs and legal regulations acknowledge that meat production is resource-intensive and involves the utilization of elements such as soil, pasture, cropland and livestock. On the other, religious laws view animals primarily as valuable assets that should only be killed under specific circumstances, recognizing their role in agricultural society and the benefits they provide. This chapter first examines the significance of religious laws in global food systems before delving into a comparative analysis of religious regulations on meat production and consumption. It then discusses the concept of “meat security” according to religious laws. Finally, the analysis shifts to the contemporary topic of cultivated meat, which raises new issues and questions rooted in old cultural, ethica and economic dilemmas surrounding the consumption of meat.