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Mindstates
Can Lab Meat Beat Meat?
by Heidi Harmony Cohen-Wolff
Have you ever noticed what lengths people will go to in order to get their hands on something they really enjoy? This holds especially true for addicts. Did you know that scientists have claimed that hamburgers and french fries could be as addictive as heroin?
What people are most attached to are their comfort foods—foods that bring fond childhood memories, fill a void, and even heal pain and frustration. Sadly though, most of these so called “foods” bring a hidden cost of suffering to innocent animals, destruction of our precious ecosystem and an assortment of diet-related diseases. We are living in an age of convenience where availability, familiarity and taste take precedence over these consequences.
We have arrived at a pivotal time on Earth where the scales have nearly tipped too far to reverse the damage we have created through technological advances, factory farming and a throwaway society. Many believe that it’s almost inevitable that in the next 50 years or less, people will be forced to turn to a vegetarian diet due to a lack of available resources to raise animals. Luckily, non-animal based mock meats and dairy products have greatly improved over the last 20 years. Many are so close to the real thing that often vegans won’t even eat them. Yet, some omnivores are still not convinced. In comes lab meat.
The concept of lab meat dates back at least 70 years. In 1932, Winston Churchill wrote, “Fifty years hence, we shall escape the absurdity of growing a whole chicken in order to eat the breast or wing by growing these parts separately under a suitable medium.” NASA has been working on growing petri dish meat as part of their space experiments for quite some time now. In 2000, NASA scientists were able to grow something resembling fish fillets in vitro from extracted fish cells. Their goal was to find ways to feed the crew during extended space expeditions.
Agricultural scientist Jason Matheny and his colleagues at the University of Maryland are working on how to produce lab meat on an industrial scale. Matheny is the director of New Harvest, a non-profit organization devoted to promoting and funding cultured meat. In its experimental stages, the process is apparently quite tedious. It begins by extracting various cells (fat and muscle tissue) and isolating them. The cells then divide into thousands more cells. Stem cells are suspended on large plastic trays or silicon sheets while they are bathed in a nutrient rich broth. These single layers grow and must be stretched in order to achieve similar texture that exercising muscles would. Once the layers are complete, they would have to be stacked to produce large pieces of meat. Currently however, the results are a mushy substance with a creamy color. Some other complications that are yet to be solved relate to which type of starter cell would be most efficient. They are still unsure if it is embryonic stem cells that multiply abundantly yet require work to produce muscle, or myoblasts that form muscle tissue but with limited proliferation ability.
While issues of taste and texture still exist with petri dish meat, ask yourself this: Do you think the diseased “throwaway” parts that make up hot dogs, sausage, and chicken nuggets are appetizing before they are covered-up with spices and flavors? Some say that in vitro technology will never produce pork chops or steak because the mouthfeel of meat has a lot to do with intermixed blood vessels, connective tissue and fat. Arguably, science has already accomplished amazing feats in terms of mock meat; I know many people who have taken an unsuspecting friend or relative to their favorite plant-based restaurant and fooled even the most avid meat-eater with a delectable seitan (wheat) veal or soy beef Wellington.
Cost is still a big concern with lab meat as well, related primarily to the nutritive broth. A study conducted by the In Vitro Meat Consortium surveyed all of the broths and concluded that even on an industrial scale, it would cost twice as much as unsubsidized chicken. They are considering the option to use genetically engineered E. Coli bacteria to produce the protein needed to make the broth. This sounds a bit risky to me.
Speaking of health issues, various sources say lab meat can be engineered to fit dietary standards. Hormones and fat levels could be lowered and Omega-3 and -6 levels adjusted. Nutrients can also be added. It seems that this could be healthier than farm animal meat. But do we really know how safe this meat will be with all of these modifications, genetic and otherwise? No. However, do most consumers know how safe the meat products they already eat are and what happened to the animal before it arrived on their plates? Consider that 95 percent of food poisoning cases today originate from animal-based agriculture. The filth and disease levels of animals on factory farms today is atrocious—I couldn’t fathom a petri dish piece of meat being nearly as dangerous. And let’s not forget mock meats, which are more healthful in that they don’t contain hormones, cholesterol, parasites and other risky organisms.
Environmental realities offer a compelling argument for meat alternatives. A meat-based diet requires seven times more land than a plant-based diet. It takes about 300 gallons of water per day to produce food for a vegan, and more than 4,000 gallons of water per day to produce food for an omnivore. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, raising animals for food contributes more greenhouse gases than transportation. It is unrealistic to continue on this unsustainable path. Therefore, if the world desires to eat meat, petri dish meat or mock meat might be the only options left.
PETA is offering a prize of $1 million to the first person or organization who comes up with commercially viable in vitro meat by 2012. The idea of meat being “grown” without the suffering of a sentient being is elating for those who deeply care about animals. The amount of abuse that animals on factory farms endure is unfathomable to most. While it is widely believed that organically raised meat is different, this is frequently not the case. Many organic farm operations still engage in the killing of newborn chicks, the separation of mothers from babies, painful milking machines and overcrowding in sheds. So, is lab meat the answer to the despicable life of farm animals? Perhaps, but there are still some concerns to consider such as: Will animals continue to be captured, caged and experimented on in order to produce the best cells? Will researchers venture into exotic meats using zoo animals? Only the future will reveal the answers to these questions.
Lab meat may not sound so unappetizing once you expose yourself to the reality of what goes on behind closed doors in stockyards and slaughterhouses. So, you decide which is true biotechnology: is it technological advances in a lab or our warped model of churning living beings into gadgets on a production line for profit?
Heidi Harmony Cohen-Wolff is an HHP, sacred bellyfusion dancer and animal activist who works with The Animal Protection & Rescue League. Contact her at healingvegandancer@yahoo.com. Please consider taking the Veg Pledge in San Diego from September 20-26. Go to www.SDVegPledge.com or www.APRL.org, or call 619.236.9514 for information and support.