The world’s first synthetic hamburger was grown from protein derived from bovine stem cells. Research is currently being conducted on synthetic meat or lab-grown meat in the United States and Europe. As non-appealing as this may sound for most Americans, researchers say lab-grown meat could help reduce our environmental footprint. It would help cut down on extensive farming, including land use and animal feed which would help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions up to 96%.
The technology behind lab-grown meat has been around since the late 1990’s, but producing an affordable and tasty meat product has proved elusive, until now. The biggest question that has come up is, will this meat alternative ever appeal to everyone, including those who are vegetarian or more eco-conscious consumers? Before the end of the year, Dutch scientists are promising a high-profile debut for a burger made from meat grown not on a farm but in their laboratory. There has been little exposure of this product in independent news and no serious talk in corporate news. When this product is finally released, Americans are going to be shocked and scared of the not so traditional ground beef alternative, so it is really in everyone’s best interest to learn about it now.
Title: Would You Eat Lab-grown Meat?
Author: Tom Levitt
Publication: Environmental New Network, October 3, 2012
URL: http://www.enn.com/agriculture/article/45039
Student Researcher: Shelby Cornell, Sonoma State University
Faculty Evaluator: Maurali Pillai, Sonoma State University