
UK scientists are attempting to grow animal cells on blades of grass to kick-start a meat industry free from slaughter.
Scientists from the University of Bath are attempting to master cultured meat and keep up with similar projects around the world.
Cultured meat attracts varied opinions among vegans – some argue it is not vegan as it uses animal cells, whereas others stress the benefits of starting an industry which could drastically reduced the number of animals reared for slaughter.
In the pipeline
Cultured meat products are not commercially readily available, but many companies have the process in the pipeline.
If it was to be mastered on an industrial scale, the financial rewards for the company winning the race could be huge.
The first ever lab-grown burger was created by a team in the Netherlands in 2013, which cost €250,000.
Then in 2018 a steak was grown from cow cells in Israel, and cost $50 for a small slice but the product is not ready for the market yet.
US-based company Just has grown chicken nuggets made from cells taken from a living chicken’s feather, and plans to stock the product in restaurants soon.
Slaughter-free
Chemical engineer Dr Marianne Ellis, from the University of Bath, is part of a project to culture pig cells in a lab and create bacon without having to slaughter an animal.
In the process, cells are taken from a living pig, which scientists say will stay ‘alive and happy’. The master cells are then put in a bioreactor to expand.
Cells must be grown on a scaffold, which is where the grass comes in. Cells are placed on a blade of grass, and to successfully replicate the taste and texture of meat, years of research is needed while growing the product.
Ellis said this could be the ‘alternative protein source for the world’.
Scott Allan, a postgraduate student in chemical engineering, told the BBC: “The idea was to essentially, rather than feeding a cow grass and then us eating the meat – why don’t we, in quotation marks, ‘feed our cells grass’.
“We use it as a scaffold for them to grow on – and we then have an edible scaffold that can be incorporated into the final product.”
The project’s lead Dr. Ellis said that most research expects greenhouse gases, water use and land use to be reduced by culture grown meat.
However, one study suggested it could be even worse for the climate than normal meat.
Would you eat cultured meat? Tell us in the comments section below!
Lifestyle
Vegan culture, food, beauty & more
Vegan Nottingham student creates budget-friendly oat milk machine to reduce carbon footprint and combat rising prices
- Mohsina Dodhiya
- 30th May 2023
The invention is sustainable and cost-effective. A vegan undergraduate studying product design at Nottingham Trent University has developed a container that can help people create their own oat milk at home for just 20 pence per litre. “Oatilicious,” provides significant cost savings compared to store-bought oat milk for up to £2.20 per carton. The innovative …
Bear Grylls ’embarrassed’ by past vegan diet promotes meat, blood, and bone marrow for better health
- Mohsina Dodhiya
- 15th May 2023
“I’ve tried to listen to my body more, tried to listen to nature, and I don’t miss vegetables at all. I don’t go near them, and I’ve never felt stronger, my skin’s never been better, and my gut’s never been better.” Adventurer and TV presenter Bear Grylls has become a die-hard carnivore fan after admitting …
VEGAN MEMES
NEED A LAUGH?
QUIZZES
All the quizzes you love to binge!
QUIZ: If you score 11/12 on this quiz, you’re a verified vegan food expert
- Marlon Farrugia
- 10th January 2020
How much vegan knowledge do you have stored away? Do you have to Google your way through a shopping trip, or do you have all the bad E-numbers memorised? Find out now with this quiz. Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a dedicated vegan for many years, and …
Continue reading “QUIZ: If you score 11/12 on this quiz, you’re a verified vegan food expert”
QUIZ: What is your perfect Vegan Halloween Costume?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 13th October 2019
Spook Season approaches. There will be ghosts, goblins, ghouls, and glucose. You need a costume, and you want to it to show off your personality, which means VEGAN. But what to choose? Take our quiz to find out your perfect outfit. Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a …
Continue reading “QUIZ: What is your perfect Vegan Halloween Costume?”
QUIZ: What kind of vegetable are you?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 26th September 2019
“If you were a vegetable, what kind would you be?” A question that has tormented humanity throughout the ages – until now. Read: QUIZ: If you score 19/20 on THIS quiz, you’re a Vegan God Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a dedicated vegan for many years, and …