Mazlan, Farhaneen A; Wasmuth, Matthew AJ; Nesbeth-Bain, Mahalia EM; Nesbeth, Darren N; (2025) Halal considerations that signpost a cellular agriculture compatible with world religions. Trends in Food Science & Technology , 161 , Article 105015. 10.1016/j.tifs.2025.105015.

Text 1-s2.0-S0924224425001517-main.pdf - Accepted Version Access restricted to UCL open access staff until 17 April 2026. Download (1MB)

Abstract

This commentary examines which halal requirements might influence religious approval of novel foods arising from cellular agriculture, as an illustrative example of how considerations important to all the five major world faiths might also influence their approval of such foods. Cellular agriculture presents novel methods of producing animal-derived food ingredients and whole foods without conventional animal farming. As cellular agriculture disrupts food system paradigms, a framework is needed to reconcile innovation with religious tradition, in order to help enable culturally sensitive progress. We examine how cellular agriculture intersects with the religious traditions of the five major world faiths: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. Food deemed appropriate for consumption by Muslims (‘halal’) represents the world's largest faith-approved food market. As a case study, for religious acceptance of cellular agriculture, we propose key considerations for conferring halal status on the foods and processes arising from this new technology. Our proposed considerations cover halal-compliant bioprocessing, feedstocks, genetic sequences, cell lines, and growth media for cultivation of animal cells, plant cells and microbes. Looking ahead, we suggest the increased programmability of biological matter, accelerated by developments in artificial intelligence, may raise philosophical questions around concepts of religious adherence and food practices.

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