You’ll want to sit down for this one.
It appears that Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) have some real competition coming down the pike.
Artificial lab meat is now being “grown” from pig stem cells fed with fetal horse serum.
Scientists in the Netherlands are indeed on the cusp of developing “slaughter-free” meat produced solely in a lab environment. One expert went so far as to predict that the first stem cell sausage could be available within 6 months.
Dr. Mark Post of Maastricht University said, “I’m hopeful we can have a hamburger in a year.”
The biggest problem scientists are dealing with right now is that lab meat is white due to the lack of myoglobin, the iron carrying blood protein that gives meat its color.
Dr. Post said that scientists are working on ways to build up the myoglobin in the synthetic meat to give it more color and hence be more appetizing to consumers. In short, the vegan alternative to gassing meat in supermarkets to keep it perpetually red!
Farmers do not appear threatened by this new development – at least not yet.
A spokesperson for the Cattle Council of Australia said the large amount of FrankenMeat that would need to be produced and the difficulty in doing so on a mass scale precludes any competition for the foreseeable future.
You can be sure when mass production of lab meat does become financially viable, fast food chains will be all over it. They’ve already shown themselves to be more than willing to partially substitute cheap, MSG laced soy protein as a filler for conventional beef to cut costs.
The real question, however, seems to be:Â will vegetarians eat it? Since they already gobble up edamame misguidedly thinking it’s a vegetable, the chances are probably pretty good.
Renita Krahe Balent via Facebook
yaaah PETA……. NOT!
Renita Krahe Balent via Facebook
One story I read was that PETA is encouraging it and I think offering a 1 million prize.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/01/artificial-meat-6-months_n_945767.html
Ann
I’m into PETA. People Eating Tasty Animals.
Marcela
WOW.
And as if that wasn’t disturbing enough – check out the comments – people there LIKE this idea!! My jaw literally DROPPED reading them! Scarrryyy….and it doesn’t surprise me the battsh*ttery that is PETA likes it – they seem to be doing pretty well if they can give away a cool mill like that (which is REALLY sad.)
Sherry England via Facebook
Unbelieveable!!!That is so disgusting!!!Why don’t they just shoot us and get it over with instead of slowly torturing us with all this food that is so detrimental to our health!! I guess they can’t make money off the dead.
Mary Tom via Facebook
Synthetic meat? – Wasn’t this on the show ‘Eureka’ a few seasons ago? The chicken farmer only grew the chicken parts that people ate?
Linda
Yes! I was just thinking of that.
Stephanie
What is there motivation? Obviously this is disgusting and unhealthy! Are they trying to keep people sick so they spend 50% at the doctors/hospitals!? Healthcare will never suffer……
Sara James via Facebook
I think we should do experiments on these researchers’ brains to show how and sick and twisted one must be to think “this” is a good idea! Blech!
JohnandJennifer Accomando via Facebook
Disgusting.
Elisabeth Carrozza Wilkins via Facebook
I cannot even believe people are spending money on this research.
Kim Buesing via Facebook
UGH!…. Makes me shiver!!
Dawn Mc Laughlin via Facebook
That is disgusting! I have no problem giving up meats all together before stomaching LAB meats!