Scientists say lab-grown meat is ‘inescapable future’

Laboratory grown meat is the “inescapable future of humanity”, given foodbourne illnesses, pollution and animal welfare issues, say two leading scientists.

Writing in a recent issue of the American Journal of Food Technology , Indian researchers Z.F Bhat and H Bhat said that meat biofabrication would “ensure sustainable production of designer, chemically safe and disease-free meat” in controlled conditions.

Noting that standard meat production was a major polluter and consumer of fossil fuels and water resources, with 30% of the earth’s surface used for livestock, Bhat and Bhat also warned that antibiotics use was contributing to the rise of drug-resistant pathogens, with animal illnesses a growing threat to humans.

 With the world population due to hit 9 billion n by 2050, and global meat production rising from 228m (2000) to 465m tonnes, they said: “It no longer makes sense to contribute stable crops towards inefficient meat production, where 1kg of poultry, pork and beef represents 2, 4 and 7 of grain respectively.”

“With cultured meat, the composition, flavour and functional role of meat could be better controlled, the incidence of foodborne disease significant reduced and resources used more efficiently.”

Campaign group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said it supported science examining lab-grown meat as an eco-friendly ‘methadone’ to the ‘heroin’ of meat eating for “people addicted from childhood to flesh”, given enormous animal suffering and environmental damage caused by the meat industry. READ…