[Doc Ruby]

I just came cross this article and I was wondering what the members of this forum think about it, would you eat meat if no animals were harmed in its making?

(Reuters) - Scientists are cooking up new ways of satisfying the world's ever-growing hunger for meat.

"Cultured meat" -- burgers or sausages grown in laboratory Petri dishes rather than made from slaughtered livestock -- could be the answer that feeds the world, saves the environment and spares the lives of millions of animals, they say.

Granted, it may take a while to catch on. And it won't be cheap.

The first lab-grown hamburger will cost around 250,000 euros ($345,000) to produce, according to Mark Post, a vascular biologist at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands, who hopes to unveil such a delicacy soon.

Experts say the meat's potential for saving animals' lives, land, water, energy and the planet itself could be enormous.

"The first one will be a proof of concept, just to show it's possible," Post told Reuters in a telephone interview from his Maastricht lab. "I believe I can do this in the coming year."

Seems to me that would satisfy even the most conscientious vegan.

[JennaJameson]

Using stem cells harvested from leftover animal material from slaughterhouses, Post nurtures them with a feed concocted of sugars, amino acids, lipids, minerals and all other nutrients they need to grow in the right way.

So I dunno if it's vegan exactly, seeing as it's grown from the stem cells of animals, but that's at such a microscopic level that perhaps people won't be bothered by it.

It's a great idea though.

[Shenshen]

As I became vegetarian because I didn't want animals to suffer on my account.
So I'd be very happy if there was meat that was grown as described in the article, once it becomes affordable that is.

But I guess that people who are vegetarian because they can't stand the taste of meat won't be all that impressed with this really.

[InquiringMind]

Quote from Wired.co.uk
"The muscle strips are created from stem cells harvested from leftover material from slaughterhouses (so it's impossible to describe it as cruelty-free, yet)"

I an not a vegetarian but I would still prefer to eat meat that is "cruelty-free". Were not there yet but at least it's a start

[Doc Ruby]

As I understand it an infinite amount of meat can be grown from a single batch, so there's no reason why baselines need be from slaughterhouses, like the first experiments, although a living animal does need to come into it somewhere along the road. The cells might even be collected without harming the animal, as they do with adult human stem cells.

These are only the first trial runs, so I'd give it 5 years before being commercially available, and within say 100, we would no longer need to farm live animals at all.

[Tar.Aldarion]

I read of this ages ago, in time the technology would improve immensely but we are not there yet. I am not sure if I could still see a world with the sheer amount of billions of animals being bred in it for eating in the distant future.

[mhge]

I wouldn't eat it myself (I am not used to meat anymore) but it's a comforting thought that cruelty could be eliminated or largely limited in this way.

[Doc Ruby]

Originally Posted by mhge

I wouldn't eat it myself

Haha, funny you should mention that, but with this technology you could literally eat yourself!

Ew, sorry if I put anyone off.

[Absurdum]

no thanks

[Slaphead07]

Originally Posted by Doc Ruby

Seems to me that would satisfy even the most conscientious vegan.

It's probably best not to try and predict what somebody else's judgement would be. As a vegetarian I wouldn't consider it edible. If the source is an animal, either living or dead, then I'm not eating it.

[fillefatale]

No, because its still encouraging a market for meat, and it seems like it wouldn't be attainable (Even after improvements) for those on lower income brackets - and further removing the product from its source and serving to educate people about what they're really eating.

Personally no, I would not eat it.

[Doc Ruby]

Originally Posted by fillefatale

No, because its still encouraging a market for meat, and it seems like it wouldn't be attainable (Even after improvements) for those on lower income brackets - and further removing the product from its source and serving to educate people about what they're really eating.

I don't get it, why would it be a problem to have a market for meat when no animals are harmed in its production? I'd imagine costs will drop once the industrial scale is reached, there's no reason why a steak need be more expensive than a slice of bread when you're vat growing it. Again, I don't understand what you mean by educating people about what they eat, surely it will not only be clearly labelled but considerably healthier meat than stuff that's gone through butchering and processing?

I mean PETA has stumped up a $1 million prize for the first group to get vat grown meat to market.

[Tar.Aldarion]

Yes I too think it's a fantastic idea and can't wait to try some if we ever get to!
If made cheap enough it would just replace the farming of animals, so I don't see wy that is a bad thing?

[fillefatale]

Originally Posted by Doc Ruby

I don't get it, why would it be a problem to have a market for meat when no animals are harmed in its production? I'd imagine costs will drop once the industrial scale is reached, there's no reason why a steak need be more expensive than a slice of bread when you're vat growing it. Again, I don't understand what you mean by educating people about what they eat, surely it will not only be clearly labelled but considerably healthier meat than stuff that's gone through butchering and processing?

I mean PETA has stumped up a $1 million prize for the first group to get vat grown meat to market.

The point of the matter is that it is still meat. At some point along the line animal matter was used in its production. Morally, I don't believe that further isolating the final product from its original source (that being its associations with animal slaughter) is progressive at all. Thats what I meant about educating people about what they're eating, understanding that its a meat product and not something that magically appeared in a tin, without caring about where it came from. That is just one of my many issues with ignorant consumerism.

Please respect my views. Even seeing that PETA is involved has made me dubious about the whole thing.

[Tar.Aldarion]

I am unsure why an animal would have to be harmed in the process? Humans aren't.