Would you eat it ? Lab grown meat

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www.bbc.co.uk

Lab-grown food could be sold in UK in two years

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is looking at how it can speed up the approval process for lab-grown foods.
www.bbc.co.uk

Meat, dairy and sugar grown in a lab could be on sale in the UK for human consumption for the first time within two years, sooner than expected.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is looking at how it can speed up the approval process for lab-grown foods.

Such products are grown from cells in small chemical plants.

UK firms have led the way in the field scientifically but feel they have been held back by the current regulations.
Dog food made from meat that was grown in factory vats went on sale in the UK for the first time last month.

In 2020, Singapore became the first country to authorise the sale of cell-cultivated meat for human consumption, followed by the United States three years later and Israel last year.

However, Italy and the US states of Alabama and Florida have instituted bans.

The FSA is to develop new regulations by working with experts from high-tech food firms and academic researchers.
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If it's safe for consumption then I see no issue although I can understand the philosophical concerns regarding it not being natural and also possibly long term issues like turning us into mutant hellspawns but it must surely not be that much difference from all the processed food we already consume ?
 
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After cost and safety, environmental impact is probably the only other thing I'd consider. If it's somehow worse than 'natural meat' then not sure there's much point.
 
petridish said:
After cost and safety, environmental impact is probably the only other thing I'd consider. If it's somehow worse than 'natural meat' then not sure there's much point.
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I think that's a good point - it needs to not have an effect on the environment that's just kicking the can down a different road.

Otherwise as others have said, if it's safe, tasty and at least the same ball park cost meat cost then yeah - I'd go for it.
 
I would eat this as long as it is safe. It would have to be reasonably priced but as long as it has less of an impact on the environment and tastes good I see no reason not to. It also has the potential to deal with the animal cruelty issue which is a big win. But price and taste will be the deciding factors.

I'm willing to bet that in time the creation of these artificial meats and other products will be so well controlled that they will actually taste better, and have more flavour control, than the real thing.

I'm also willing to bet that the real thing will still be coveted for it's scarcity, and a rage against the artificial nature of lab grown.

Edit - I mean scarcity as in wagyu, foie gras, that sort of thing. Even if it can be replicated in the lab, people will still want the real thing in the same way people still want natural diamonds. I don't mean all meat is suddenly going to vanish.



And finally, the safest bet of all, there will be a backlash against it as it comes to market, from farmers and those financially invested in the traditional meat/dairy/sugar supply chain. This will hold up any sort of replacement of traditional products.
If lobbyists can convince an entire generation that calcium is essential for bones to increase dairy sales, they will definitely throw money at convincing us that lab grown is inferior to straight from the tap if it threatens their bottom line.
 
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Distracted said:
If lobbyists can convince an entire generation that calcium is essential for bones to increase dairy sales, they will definitely throw money at convincing us that lab grown is inferior to straight from the tap if it threatens their bottom line.
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You... You have a meat tap?
 
Yep, tikka malasa on it, and its good to to.

On second thoughts..I think its also one of those things that no one has long-term data on and would seem risky. I'd probably wait out or have it in moderation.
 
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In theory it should be very cheap once it reaches high-volume production, at least according to a load of sci-fi novels.
I've already had a bash at some of the recipes based on food descriptions from things like The Expanse and Cyberpunk 2077, and they were pretty fun so I'd be up for this. Right now most alternative/analogue ingredients are massively overpriced, but again high-volume production would easily change that.
 
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