Lab-grown meat - Earth's saviour or unnatural?

Monday, August 4, 2014

Cultured meat, in vitro meat, test-tube meat – the stuff goes by many names. Some see it as the only feasible option for an overpopulated Earth. Others turn up their noses at the concept, calling it "unnatural."

Two Dutch researchers, Cor van der Weele and Johannes Tramper, hope to bridge the divide. In a paper published in the June issue of Trends in Biotechnology, they envision a future in which "pigs in backyards or on animal-friendly (urban) farms would serve as the living donors of muscle stem cells through biopsies. These pigs live happy lives as companion animals while their cells are cultured in local meat factories."

The pigs would suffer only the occasional prick of a needle, and consumers would be able to see and touch the living pig that produced their meat. This, van der Weele and Tramper believe, would "reverse feelings of alienation."

The paper cites research estimating that cultured meat could reduce greenhouse gas emissions, land use and water use by 90 per cent compared with standard European beef production. At this point, production of the "cultured-meat slurry" (yum!) is too costly to make it a real market contender. BP