Monday, April 14, 2008

In Vitro Meat: Its Whats for Dinner

You might think of it as the ultimate eco-meal and a solution to Michael Pollan's concerns in his NY Times essay and in his book, the Omnivore's Dilemma. (Not to mention that it would also be a pretty cool solution to problem of astronauts getting enough protein while on long space journeys). Alexis Madrigal of Wired writes: "In five to 10 years, supermarkets might have some new products in the meat counter: packs of vat-grown meat that are cheaper to produce than livestock and have less impact on the environment." The full article accessible here.

Several nonprofits that promote research on in vitro meat have sprung up, including New Harvest and InVitro.org; there was even a in-vitro meat symposium last week. Researchers hope to have this to our dinner tables within 5 or 6 years.

[Photo Credit: Australian artists in the Tissue Culture and Art Project grew this test tube steak for their exhibition Disembodied Cuisine. Tissue Culture and Art (TCA) Australia]

No comments: