High-tech meat is having a moment. In fact, for the past couple of years there has been growing interest in the potential of lab-grown meat – that is, meat produced and cultivated in a lab by obtaining stem cells from an animal and then dividing and growing those cells to produce a piece of meat.

In-vitro animal products are often referred to as “clean meat”, and have captured the imagination of start-up entrepreneurs, vegans and vegetarians. Bill Gates and Richard Branson obviously think it’s the way of the future, as they have invested $17 million in a company that produces lab-grown meat.

With one of the leading companies set to take its clean meat to supermarket shelves by the end of 2018, an ethical tangle looms – does clean meat adhere to kosher and halal principles?

Clean meat is identical to conventional meat in look, taste and molecular makeup, but a religious debate has arisen. “There is a religious definition of meat and then there is a scientific definition of meat, and in a religious context meat is defined by the slaughter of the animal,” said Bruce Friedrich of The Good Food Institute in an interview with Quartz. “If there is no slaughter of the animal then the product is not up for the kosher or halal process.”

Many rabbis believe the cultured meat could be kosher, with some going as far to say, “When the cell of a pig is used and its genetic material is utilised in the production of food, the cell, in fact, loses its original identity and therefore cannot be defined as forbidden for consumption. It wouldn’t even be meat, so you can consume it with dairy.”

But some rabbis, such as Menachem Genack say lab-grown chicken that uses cells derived from a feather couldn’t be considered kosher unless the cells were harvested from a chicken slaughtered in adherence with religious standards.

But despite the religious debate, clean meat is undoubtedly a win for the environment – meat grown in a lab dramatically reduces greenhouse gas emissions, uses much less water and land than its conventionally grown counterpart.

One thing is clear; the future of meat production is changing rapidly. Like driverless cars, animal-less meat may be closer than we think.