In Vitro Meat
Make Environmental Footprints Smaller by Investing in “Meat without Feet” With recent news in medicine being that The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine of 2010 was awarded to Robert G. Edwards, some believe that in vitro fertilization and stem cell research is reserved to humans. According to The Official Web Site of The Nobel Prize, Robert G. Edwards won the award due to his creation and advancements with in vitro fertilization, which now allows infertile couples to be able to conceive. This process creates roughly a hundred test-tube babies and the cells that go unused are generally later used for stem cell research (“The 2010”). Thoughts of stem cell research being reserved to only humans would be a wrong assumption. In vitro meat is the next step in future meat consumption technology. Unlike like stem cell research done on humans where the cells are taken from the early stages of human life, cells are removed from animals by a fairly simple process. The process is much like getting blood drawn; the only difference is that muscle cells are extracted instead of blood. The muscle cells are then brought to a lab, tested for diseases, grown into their different forms of meat, and lastly shipped to be sold in grocery stores and supermarkets (Paris).
Meat obtained through in vitro, or cultured meat, tastes the same as standard meat being sold and even has the possibility of tasting better through a variation of additives. Vegetarians may be the first to question whether or not the cultured meat should be consumed -after being informed, they would learn there is no concern of ethics behind cultured meat. The meat is grown in a lab within nutrient enriched conditions, then is stretched and worked out like a normal muscle would take to grow. Since this meat does not encounter unnecessary conditions that normal livestock encounter, diseases born in living animals would become obsolete through the help of in vitro meat. Scientists would add all needed vitamins and
Meat obtained through in vitro, or cultured meat, tastes the same as standard meat being sold and even has the possibility of tasting better through a variation of additives. Vegetarians may be the first to question whether or not the cultured meat should be consumed -after being informed, they would learn there is no concern of ethics behind cultured meat. The meat is grown in a lab within nutrient enriched conditions, then is stretched and worked out like a normal muscle would take to grow. Since this meat does not encounter unnecessary conditions that normal livestock encounter, diseases born in living animals would become obsolete through the help of in vitro meat. Scientists would add all needed vitamins and
Cited: McIlroy, Anne. “Will Consumers Have Beef with Test-tube Meat?” The Globe and Mail (Canada), 2006: A1 pg. Science. Web. 23 Oct 2010. Midgley, Carol. “Meat Without Feet.” The Times (London) 2008: 4 pp. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Web. 23 Oct 2010. n.p. “Cultured Meat.” The Statesman (India) 2005. Web. 23 Oct 2010. Paris, Abigail. “In Vitro Meat, a More Humane Treat.” Policy Innovations, 2010. Web. 23 Oct 2010. Pedroncelli, Mike. “The In Vitro Meat Consortium.” In Vitro Meat Organization, 2010. Web. 18 October 2010. "The 2010 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine - Press Release." The Official Website of the Nobel Prize, 2010. Web. 22 Oct 2010.