Mays Landing, New Jersey
While growing meat in a lab sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie, it is something that already exists. The first lab grown meat was made in 2013, and while the idea seemed cool, it was extremely expensive at the time. A burger made of lab grown meat would have taken about $300,000 to create. You could buy 75,000 big macs for the same price! Thankfully, by 2015 researchers were able to reduce the price to 11 dollars and 36 cents. This meat is so expensive, but extremely unique.
What is Lab-Grown Meat?
It is real meat that is grown directly from animal cells. It is made using the 100 year old method of in vitro muscle tissue growth. Researchers take healthy cells from animals such as chickens and cows and they figure out which of those cells need to be multiplied in order to form meat. From there they keep the cells healthy until they replicate and grow. This means that the animal did not have to die in order for the meat to be used for consumption.
Why is Lab-Grown Meat Important?
Due to the fact that the world population is expected to go above 9.1 billion people by 2050 it is more important than ever to find alternative ways to eat the same food we do now. Agriculture is going to take a hard hit as the population increases. There are simply not enough animals or plants to feed that many people. Researchers hope that lab grown meat can be an alternate solution to slaughtering animals all the time.
What Makes Lab Grown Meat So Beneficial?
The cells that are used can also continue to grow, which is what makes lab-grown meat more sustainable for our environment. Furthermore, lab grown meat can be a big benefit for our environment because according to a study in the Environmental Science and Technology Journal 7-25% of energy use could be lowered, 78-96% of GHG emissions could be lowered, and 99% of land use could be lowered, as well as 82-96% of water use depending on the product. Using less water and land for things such as animals could be extremely beneficial to humans.
How Will This New Type of Meat Be Useful For Humans?
Not only could this cultivated meat be beneficial to the environment, but it could also be healthier for humans due to the power of technology and its ability to modify the meat so that it can be enriched with essential amino acids and fats, as well as in vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds.
Unfortunately, lab grown meat is not yet available in stores across the nation, but there is a possibility of the meat being available in the future. In fact, a chicken breast grown by UPSIDE foods-based in California was approved by the FDA and said to be ready for human consumption. UPSIDE is hoping to bring the product to restaurants in 2023 and to grocery stores by 2028!
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