The Promise and Peril of Artificial Meat
Dead end, panacea, or something in between?
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Lab-grown meat, known also as cultured, cell-based meat, or “clean” meat, is a new and rapidly emerging technology that offers the potential to revolutionize the food and agriculture industry. While there are risks that need to be managed, lab-grown meat has incredible implications and potential benefits for civilization’s long-term sustainability.
What is Lab-Grown Meat?
While plant protein meat alternatives have grabbed headlines in the last few years, advances in lab-grown meat have been just as dramatic. Plant-protein meat alternatives use a variety of plant products to mimic the taste and texture of common cuts of meat. Lab-grown meat, on the other hand, hopes to literally grow or “culture” meat cells in bioreactors, without the need for birthing, raising, and slaughtering animals.
In my humble (and often wrong) opinion, I see the plant-protein alternatives as a technological dead end. On a…
