Lab grown meat approved for use in the UK

merlin

Adey said:

What we really need is, instead of eating artificial meat, 25% of the world population should become cannibals.

This will solve the food problem, reduce the ridiculously high population, slash the collective world's carbon footprint and provide a market for new and novel cookbooks.

On this subject, check out this episode of "The Twilight Zone". 

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x80j7it

Grunfeld

ICBM said:

It is an interesting question for those who are vegetarian or vegan for moral reasons - is meat which has never been an animal acceptable? If, or if not, why? (Genuinely curious.)

There's no single answer to this because people restrict their diet for all sorts of reasons. 

Some people won't eat stuff because of "health" reasons -- e.g. they won't touch GMO food because they think it will harm them. 

But there's also a variety of moral/ ethical reasons for not eating meat.  For some, it's primarily an ethical concern for the environment and they won't eat meat cos of that. 

For others, it's primarily an ethical concern for the animals, and that's why they won't eat meat.

For me, I'd have no rational reason for not eating "artificial" meat.  By the same token, I've got no rational reason not to eat road kill.  Because my ethics get drawn along the lines of industrial meat production so rationally, I'm okay with the notion of a pet cow bopping along quite merrily all it's days, living a happy cow life, until it's suddenly dinner-time.  However, it's still not my cup of tea.  And I wouldn't eat artificial meat for the same reason -- just not my cup of tea.

jonnyburgo

They told us that McD's happy meals would make us happy, but all it does it make large breasted depressed boys.

sinbaadi

Adey said:

It will absolutely help with a population crash I think you'll find....

Quite right!

menamestom

crunchman said:

Would the lab grown meat have all the nutrients?

Vitamin B12 is made by micro-organisms in a cow's gut.  If the meat is just lab grown muscle cells, will it contain the same amount of vitamin B12.  Will that meat have the mineral content of a cow fed on grass?

This is a good point, one I came here to make.

Will it be a complete protein, life beef, will it contain all the amino acids and things like creatine you would get from meat.  

I think the nutritional profile will be one of the most important things.

There could be benefits on the other side, beef production often uses hormones and antibiotics, this method may reduce the need for additional chemicals.

Adey

jonnyburgo said:

They told us that McD's happy meals would make us happy, but all it does it make large breasted depressed boys.

Why does that make them depressed? Most boys want to get their hands on large breasts...

FastEddie

Lab grown meat is a slow death. It is simply a means of population control from the ingestion of industrial waste. Sit and watch people in a town and spot the non-obese person with a healthy diet.
This is awful stuff.

Real meat all day long. Our beef and game are from the Savernake forest, on my door step. The only way.

digitalscream

FastEddie said:

Lab grown meat is a slow death. It is simply a means of population control from the ingestion of industrial waste. 

Do you have a factual reference for that?

breakstuff

FastEddie said:

Lab grown meat is a slow death. It is simply a means of population control from the ingestion of industrial waste. Sit and watch people in a town and spot the non-obese person with a healthy diet.
This is awful stuff.

Real meat all day long. Our beef and game are from the Savernake forest, on my door step. The only way.

You know you're supposed to use tin foil to cook meat, not wear it on your head?

Grunfeld

FastEddie said:

Lab grown meat is a slow death. It is simply a means of population control from the ingestion of industrial waste.

I think this is a really good example of how much emotion gets caught up in the subject of "food". 

It's not just @FastEddie , it's widespread, and we're prone to ideological bias and motivated reasoning with this subject. 

Just thinking aloud, I wonder if it was ever thus, and all those religious dietary rules were an earlier version of how fussy and less-than-rational we get about what we eat.  Dunno, anyone read any serious studies on the subject?

monquixote

Grunfeld said:

I think this is a really good example of how much emotion gets caught up in the subject of "food". 

It's not just @FastEddie , it's widespread, and we're prone to ideological bias and motivated reasoning with this subject. 

Just thinking aloud, I wonder if it was ever thus, and all those religious dietary rules were an earlier version of how fussy and less-than-rational we get about what we eat.  Dunno, anyone read any serious studies on the subject?

I totally agree 

I think a lot of people get tied up on how things sound like Genetically Modified and are instantly against it, but what's better modifying the genes of a wheat so it's resistant to a pest or dousing it in chemicals.

Similarly with organic farming. It sounds nice so people are all for it, but organic farming is less efficient so more land has to be taken up with farm land rather than being rewilded and organic fertilisers have to be used in much higher quantities and are more prone to run off poisoning rivers.

The excellent book Regenesis makes the case for intensive farming (it's more nuanced than that) because all farming is bad for the environment and so wouldn't it be better to have as little of the earths surface covered with farms as possible and make the rest a nature reserve.

WezV

I'm not vegetarian, but have really enjoyed seeing and tasting how far meat substitutes have come in the last 20 years.   

I could now eat vegetarian for most of the week if I wanted to, without feeling like I was missing out on meat or eating poor quality food.  

I will try this when its available assuming the nutritional value matches real meat.  I look forward to seeing what things it works well for, and what things it doesn't.   

I imagine it will soon be possible to get a lump of consistent meat from this process, which is great for some cookery and would likely work well for day to day meals.... but how long till you can give me a piece of belly pork  with its intricate layers of fat and muscle, topped with a nice bit of skin for crackling?  Maybe they can some day imitate a lean fillet steak, but when is it gonna give me a well marbled ribeye?  I don't care if my chicken nuggs are real chicken, but I definitely want to be able to roast a full chicken on a regular basis


A product like this will eventually reduce reliance on battery farming, but there will be a place for real meat and traditional farming for a long time to come.   My hope is  we get to a stage where real meat is seen as a weekly treat by most meat eaters, and we truly value and respect the lives of the animals that provide it.... in turn we are rewarded with truly tasty meat of a standard that is sadly lacking from most supermarket shelves

Offset

Adey said:

jonnyburgo said:

They told us that McD's happy meals would make us happy, but all it does it make large breasted depressed boys.

Why does that make them depressed? Most boys want to get their hands on large breasts...

...but not their own :-)

menamestom

FastEddie said:

Lab grown meat is a slow death. It is simply a means of population control from the ingestion of industrial waste. Sit and watch people in a town and spot the non-obese person with a healthy diet.
This is awful stuff.

Real meat all day long. Our beef and game are from the Savernake forest, on my door step. The only way.

Whilst I'm not particulraily keen on trying lab grown meat, I'd say a good proportion of the population are doing pretty well being obese without it.   Also, unfortunately most people don't have beef and game on tap from their local forest.

While I'm all for the eat local produce way, it's not particularily practical for a massive proportion of the worlds population.

UnclePsychosis

Personally I find the "but it's not 100% nutritionally balanced" complaints hilarious. Unless you're planning on eating nothing else then what's the problem? 

Its very notable that you don't get the same handwringing about nutrition and vitamins after eating a meal from McDonald's or from a kebab shop or downing six pints of lager at the pub.

Its almost like some people take a perverse pleasure in the animal suffering, because the ridiculous objections don't make sense on their own. 

Kurtis

I'd imagine it's very unlikely it will have the same nutritional value as real meat. 

VimFuego

Kurtis said:

I'd imagine it's very unlikely it will have the same nutritional value as real meat. 

what are you basing that on?

Kurtis

VimFuego said:

Kurtis said:

I'd imagine it's very unlikely it will have the same nutritional value as real meat. 

what are you basing that on?

Well I don't know how they do it exactly but I'm guessing it would be difficult to replicate all the processes that a fully functioning animal needs to stay healthy over a lifetime? 

Adey

digitalscream said:

FastEddie said:

Lab grown meat is a slow death. It is simply a means of population control from the ingestion of industrial waste. 

Do you have a factual reference for that?

I'm ticking off my Forum Bingo Card...

Adey

VimFuego said:

Kurtis said:

I'd imagine it's very unlikely it will have the same nutritional value as real meat. 

what are you basing that on?

That's nearly another...