Poll: Artificial Meat?

IOwnTheSpire

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I've heard about scientists being able to create artificial meat, or in vitro meat, and it got me wondering what would happen if this became a mainsteam practice. Do you think we would have an ethical obligation to stop eating real meat (as in stop killing animals)? Would vegetarians/vegans be willing to eat artificial meat? What do you guys think?
 

Thaluikhain

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That might happen, but long in the future when the stuff is easily available.

OTOH, I imagine there will be a kerfuffle when it is cheap enough for some people, but not others. Poor people or poor nations might have to rely on the old fashioned kind of meat, and be demonised by wealthier people for animal cruelty.
 

Silentpony_v1legacy

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Jun 5, 2013
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No, probably not. And I'd insist it not be called Artificial Meat. It should be called Artificial Meat-flavored products.
 

Michel Henzel

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May 13, 2014
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If it's just as tasty and most importantly, as or less expensive then real meat then I'm all for it.
 

DementedSheep

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If it was basically the same as real meat or better and less resources intensive to produce than farming sure, why not.
 

Frezzato

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DementedSheep said:
If it was basically the same as real meat or better and less resources intensive to produce than farming sure, why not.
Absolutely. If you take what the USGS says about beef, it takes 150 gallons of water [http://water.usgs.gov/edu/activity-watercontent.html] to "create" a 1/3 pound hamburger.

This is why I was surprised by the movie Snowpiercer,
because I figured future humans would have turned to insects for protein anyway. I mean, seeing how so many people today already do [http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/labcoat-life/why_should_we_eat_insects]. Okay, yes, it's...gyaaaah, not appetizing to me as a Westerner, but I really do believe that one day bugs will be a staple for most people, even perhaps those in the first world.

Maybe by the time beef becomes a rarity, veggie burgers will be super duper awesome. And honestly, has anybody here tried a Boca Burger [http://www.bocaburger.com/]? They're similar to what Morningstar Farms makes. And while I don't know how much water it takes to make stuff like that, it's a fairly acceptable facsimile (I once had to live with vegetarians; I'll try anything 12 times).
 

baddude1337

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I don't know, maybe. Depends how much weird shit they put in it. Vegetarian substitutes like Quorn are already pretty tasty, so I guess it's the next logical step.

Though I do think it would be a bit weird for vegetarians to eat it. I mean, not that I'd have a problem with it, but it seems weird to me to not eat meat, but eat a lab grown steak that is effectively just meat. even more than the current substitutes. Yeah, it's not been killed and cut up, but it is likely at least based off some kind of animal cells or something.
 

Redlin5_v1legacy

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Nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope.

I'm a confirmed meat eater but if it gets to the point where artificially grown meat flood the market, I will personally go out and hunt my meat for the rest of my life. If that means more lentils or fish in my diet in the periods inbetween an elk kill, so be it but just the thought of grown meat makes my skin crawl.

 

Scarim Coral

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It would depend on a few things if I were to stop eating real meat-

Does it taste better than real meat?

Is it cheaper?

What shapes does it come in (like in all range or only spam shape only)?

Nutrition value.
 

cathou

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Apr 6, 2009
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Dynast Brass said:
It isn't actually meat, and I don't mean that from a culinary or moral perspective. Calling it meat is marketing, not reality.

Meat in the colloquial sense means (mostly) muscle 'meat'. While we may casually think of that as largely proteinaceous, it is fact quite varied. For one obvious example, the protein is found in the context of complete cells, while the "meat" in question here is just extruded protein.

Actual meat has a number of complex connective proteins, lubricants, and fats, not to mention the metabolic contents of cells and extracellular matrix.

So, again, not meat.

That's not to say you can't fabricate or grow meat, just that we're not there yet for culinary purposes.

I must add too, beware of 'Prius Syndrome'. You're sold that something is so obviously better, when it turns out in total, not to be. The Prius (upon launch) had a greater environmental impact over its life than a Range Rover, because of the means and materials of its construction. Organic is often sold as inherently better for us, and it is if it's done responsibly with testing of products. Often however, it is not, but still fetches a high price.
the experiment the OP talk was done in Netherland in 2013. it's technically real meat, since it's complete and real muscular cells growned in vitro. they called it the most expensive burger in the world, since it cost 250 000 euro to grow that meat of that single burger. But true, normal meat have also fat, and other type of cells attached to it, not just 100% muscular cells.

for sure we lack the knowledge and technology to grow meat on a large scale for a reasonable price. i guess vegan that are vegan because of animal rigths may be tempted by this, but i'm not sure. i dont think it raise a question of morality, since the meat is not alive. it's the the same as cloning a cow and killing it to eat it for exemple.

for vegan that think that it's unatural for human to eat mat, there was an experiment not long ago. they were trying to see if chimps (in natural environment, not lab chimps) would prefer cooked or raw food. Apparently they are naturally inclined to eat cooked food. it's important, because it's the ability to cook our food that led humans to eat meat.
 

Neverhoodian

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I'd make the switch, provided it has the taste and texture of animal meat and isn't more expensive. Until then, it's the good ol' food chain for me.

Having said that, I'm already changing my meat eating habits. Not for health or animal morality reasons, but for the sake of resources. I live in northern California, where years of drought are taking their toll on local water tables. Wells are starting to dry up in rural areas, and it costs an arm and a leg to drill deeper or extend city water mains. In light of this, I've taken to eating less beef and more poultry, as it takes far less water to raise chickens than cows (about 518 gallons/pound as opposed to beef's 1,847 gal/lb).[footnote]Source:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/13/food-water-footprint_n_5952862.html[/footnote]
 

Shock and Awe

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I would definitely welcome the innovation, but It depends on the quality; probably would if it was decent. Ecologically if it takes less resources to make the "fake meat" then raise real animals it'd be a definite net positive. Though I would probably still be up for hunting and fishing.
 

Silvanus

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I don't buy meat/ have it bought for me for moral reasons, but I'd be fine with artificial meat. No pain or death, no moral issue, as far as I'm concerned.
 

Twintix

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If it looks like meat, feels like meat, tastes like meat, I'll totally scarf it down. Lab-grown or not.
 

EvilRoy

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Twintix said:
If it looks like meat, feels like meat, tastes like meat, I'll totally scarf it down. Lab-grown or not.
If I remember the experiment being referenced here, this stuff was described (after being cooked and prepared) as "looking like a burger from a distance". So probably not quite there yet. I can't remember how they said it tasted, but I probably would if somebody puked, so it was probably fine.