Will Lab-Grown Meat Make Its Way To Market By 2018?
The next time that you go to the grocery store to pick up a few items and you reach down to grab some steak or hot dogs, you might be surprised to find out that the item you're holding was grown in a lab rather than being raised on a farm.
There are various companies that are currently engaged in working toward making grown meat a reality in supermarkets around the United States and elsewhere. By using methods of biofabrication, researchers have been able to grow fish, poultry, meat, and other items, in a lab setting.
One of the companies that is working in this space, Modern Meadow, has previously alleged that this process involves at least 96 percent less water and 45 percent less energy, to get the same amount of meat that you could get from traditional farming methods. However, it's still said to be rather pricey for lab-grown meat and some suspect that it might not become affordable for the average consumer until around 2020.
The prices for lab-grown meat have allegedly dropped by at least 96 percent in the last few years.
Though it's still estimated to cost around $11.36 or more per pound of the stuff, compared to around $3 per pound for your average ground beef.
It might not be on the shelves just yet, but there have been taste tests of the product and it's alleged that there isn't much of a difference in taste between lab-grown and farm-raised.
Could grown-meat become the future of agriculture?
To try and protect their market share, big players in the beef market have recently moved to try and clamp down on the definition of what constitutes meat or beef in the market.
The US Cattlemen's Association has petitioned the USDA and asked them to restrict the definition of both so that it excludes products that were not born, raised, and slaughtered in the traditional manner.
In their petition, they state:
"The "beef" and "meat" labels should inform consumers that the products are from animals harvested in the traditional manner, as opposed to derived from alternative proteins or artificially grown in laboratories. As such, the definitions of "beef" and "meat" should be limited to animals born, raised, and processed in the traditional manner, regardless of the country of origin. Synthetic products and products grown in labs from animal cells should thus not qualify to be labeled as "beef" or as "meat."
The CEO of Beyond Meat, Ethan Brown, has said that he isn't that worried about the petition and if anything he thinks it might help to start the conversation about grown meat with the masses; helping his products and business to gain awareness. This is one discussion that we are likely to hear a lot more about in the coming years.
In the same way that the gmo debate has been such a hot topic of conversation over the last decade, surely the lab-grown products will foster the same criticism.
Pics:
pixabay
Sources:
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/09/modern-meadow-lab-grown-leather/540285/
https://futurism.com/are-lab-grown-meats-really-the-future-of-food/
https://gizmodo.com/the-future-will-be-full-of-lab-grown-meat-1720874704
https://newatlas.com/beef-industry-petition-definition-lab-grown-meat/53535/
http://www.wsfa.com/story/37596353/cattlemens-association-wants-definition-for-beef
http://www.ibtimes.com/us-cattlemens-association-petitions-strictly-define-meat-beef-2657531
Related Posts:
Growing Meat: The Future Of Agriculture
https://steemit.com/food/@doitvoluntarily/growing-meat-the-future-of-agriculture
Lab grown turkey will come in different forms and shapes. Hahahaha
jajajaja
BUY ORGANIC!!!
Because the FDA doesn't know anything about nutrition, I am skeptical at best whether this will be marginally ok for people.
This news and many articles on t are prevailing day by day. I don't know what benefits the businessmen get from such things yet i don't feel it safe for human body. Natural thing has it's own grace and worth but machinery things(Lab oriented) can never compete with the natural meat, slaughtered meat infact!
I am really thankful that you provided a very precise information that how supermarkets are making us fool without consumers knowing the hazardous background of such things.
once again i am really thankful for the research based data @doitvoluntarily <3
I’ve heard about this, and not sure what to think of it.
On one end, it’s weird and creepy and who wants to eat meat that was grown Ins a lab. What’s in it? Is it safe? Is it as nutritious as regular beef?
On the other, it could be safer, less prone to carrying disease and sickness. It could be engineered to be more nutritious and healthy than meat from a cow that’s been sitting in it’s own filth.
Need to do some more reading up on the subject before deciding if it’s right for me, and, I guess I have time since it won’t be commonplace for a few more years.
Thanks for sharing, cheers.
Yikes! Seems like another great way for corporations to further tighten their control over markets and consumers. It’s got GMO written all over it.
On the other hand, the modern meat industry isn’t pretty either. It’s seems like less meat and more insects would be a more sustainable solution to our protein needs.
Its a new information for me to Lab Grown Meat.
Really amazing because in our country this technology is not used. I dont know is this artificial product harmful or helpful for our health. Thanks @doitvoluntarily for updating. My Support always for you. Take care.
I say, raise your own food, your own cattle or farm animals and then you know exactly what you are eating, since I am having a hard time trusting anything I buy at the stores these days.
Thank you for sharing this, since I have not heard or seen meat being grown in a lab, which is not something that I would purchase if I knew that it was.
Lol, that's exactly where I thought my hot dogs came from!
Truly strange times where lab meat may be on grocery store shelves.
lol pink slime 👌😂
Would give it a try, but not for the cost it is at the moment. Will wait until it's worth the money. Buying organic and slowly more towards more of a plant base diet to a) try it out and see any health benefits and b) being more aware of meat production and consumption.