It has finally happened. Someone (in this case, reseachers at Maastricht University in the Netherlands) has grown a hamburger developed in the lab and cultured from stem cells. The taste test took place a couple weeks ago to rather ho-hum reviews, the consensus being that it had the texture of a conventional beef burger, but the taste was not as appealing due to a lack of fat.
But that’s the kind of problem that’s comparatively easy to fix – none of the stem cells had been developed into fat, which is what needs to occur in future to improve the flavour. The real problem will be converting this system for affordable mass production. The 5-oz patty that was served cost over $300,000 to produce.
I have no doubt that, in time, scientists will figure out how to solve those problems; that by the next decade we’ll be able to dine, relatively inexpensively, on beef burgers and steaks that did not require the death of a living creature to produce. My question is: is this truly a worthwhile endeavor?
It certainly has many plusses. For many, the reduction in animal suffering is a significant draw. I know there are many vegetarians, myself included, who gave up meat because of the ethics surrounding killing animals for food when, strictly speaking, it is not necessary to do so to live healthfully. As well, there are more than a few meat-eaters out there who always feel a pang of guilt when they consume animals, but for a variety of reasons are either unwilling or unable to give it up. So, guilt-free meat consumption is not an insignificant reason for this research to continue.
Even more valuable is the environmental impact this could potentially have on greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, and land use in general. Currently a significant percentage of our agriculture production is used to feed livestock. According to one statistic , it takes on average 6.2 tonnes of feed (much of it corn and soy) to yield 1 tonne of edible carcass meat, making meat consumption a rather inefficient use of our resources. This doesn’t even begin to touch on the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced from the animals themselves. It is a well-known fact that the environmental impact of worldwide livestock production exceeds the impact of cars and other methods of transport. The single fastest, and most effective intervention we could make to mitigate the effects of global warming would be to become vegetarian…or at the very least to significantly reduce our meat consumption. Unfortunately, there are many people who don’t want to hear that, and large industries that would be at risk, so beyond the push for “Meatless Mondays” in the US (which has not been sanctioned by the USDA for this very reason), little has been done on this front. But I digress…
So, lots of benefits. But seriously, though, does this make sense? Are many meat-eaters going to go for it? Are they going to see this as meat? Because really, no matter how good it gets, it’s not going to taste exactly the same. Heck, meat from different parts of the country, or grass-fed versus grain-fed meats taste different to some. Will we see the “it’s only meat if an animal died to produce it” mentality?
Does that sound crazy to you? Having been a meat-eater for most of my life, I know what meat tastes like, and I can say that many of the veggie-concoctions on the market really do taste remarkably like meat. In fact, I’ve had to double-check with the cook a few times to make sure that I wasn’t accidentally served the wrong meal. That said, I know more than a few meat-eaters who visibly cringe at the mere idea of consuming a mock-meat. (You’d think I was offering brussels sprouts and beets, with a side bitter melon,,,apologies to fans of those rather unloved vegetables) What’s the difference? If it looks like meat, tastes like meat, and is often healthier than meat, why such an aversion? Honestly, I just don’t get it.
To sum up, I think this is a big waste of resources. The people who are really affected by animal suffering, or environmental causes, or who are willing to concede that animals don’t have to die to produce a tasty, nutritious product are the ones for whom this project is designed; but those are the same people who would be willing to consume less meat, and maybe eat some meat alternates instead. It’s convincing the others that will be a challenge.
What do you think? Am I being unfair to my meat-eating friends? Would you be willing to try a frankenburger? Can you explain why the carnivores’ collective shudder over the idea of eating a meat substitute? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
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