Poll: Would you eat in vitro meat?

[MindFragged]

Hey guys!

So it looks like we'll be getting food grown in labs in the near future. Do you see yourself eating it?

I ask because most people I've talked to about it have their doubts, but I think it sounds awesome. Looking at the Wiki page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_vitro_meat#Health) I think it might take a while for it to become as tasty and cost-effective as normal meat, plus using less antibiotics (though in fairness a lot of farmers ply their cattle with antibiotics as insurance against infection rather than a combat to it), but when it does: good times.

Once the process becomes cheaper (and if it doesn't use up too many resources) it'll easily outstrip traditional pastoral farming in cost-efficiancy. Also, less pastoral farming = more land given over to arable, and more plants is generally a good thing. Farmer's can diversify into bio-fuels and medicinal plants and such. So for me, it's more a point of principle than the fact I'll be eating the future.

 

[Eleuthera]

As long as it tastes fine, I see no problems with this. If I'm ok with eating dead animals, why wouldn't I be ok with eating never alive animals?

 

[Nouw]

Same nutrition, same taste, I'm all for it. It'd have to be pretty damn good for me to choose vitro steak over real steak though.

 

[Baron von Blitztank]

If I like it I'll eat it, if I don't I won't. It's as simple as that. Although I will say, the concept of eating meat that hasn't been blessed with the blood and tears of cute animals being slaughtered before their loved ones just baffles me.

 

[SomeLameStuff]

As long as it tastes the same I suppose.

 

[Gatx]

On the one hand, I'm all for meat that doesn't have to come at the price of life.

From a culinary standpoint though - different cuts of meat taste the way they do because of where on the animal the meat came from and what purpose it served. It's the difference between dark and white meat, flank steak and tenderloin, veal and beef etc. If they grow the meat in a lab, and it's never used for anything, would it taste the same as if it were on a live, raised animal?

 

[SpAc3man]

Depends on the taste. I can imagine flesh that has never really operated as a part of an animal may be lacking in flavour. Especially flavour you get from fat and bone.

 

[Eleuthera]

From a culinary standpoint though - different cuts of meat taste the way they do because of where on the animal the meat came from and what purpose it served. It's the difference between dark and white meat, flank steak and tenderloin, veal and beef etc. If they grow the meat in a lab, and it's never used for anything, would it taste the same as if it were on a live, raised animal?

You have a point here. I think in-vitro meat will probably be useful in the processed meat (ground beef, sausages, spam...) sector, at first at least, since they depend more on added flavouring and less on structure. Fat can of course be added (and possibly created) separately, so that's not a real problem either.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

I don't really like the fact I eat meat anyway because I love animals (but I can't be a vegetarian for medical reasons) So it's fine by me.

 

[krazykidd]

Eh sure . As long as it tastes the same . I guess there are some ethical issues to it , but then again , we kill "real" animals all the time to eat , so i guess it's not a factor . Although i do find the concept a bit mind boogling .

 

[Wadders]

Nope, Surely it cant be as good as real meat? What makes good meat good is the fact that its been part of a real animal, working the muscles and body parts you eat, for all of its life, and living off decent food. You'd get none of that from something grown in a lab. Admittedly it might be better than most processed meat, but I don't eat that stuff so for me personally, that point is irrelevant.

The Wiki article mentions no fat either. With steak you want some fat in a kind of marbling effect, as it keeps the meat moist and such.

It's a no no for me. I'm all for science but when it comes to stuff like this I'm a bit of a conservative, we should be encouraging people to eat better quality, less processed food. I understand not everyone can afford that stuff but still, its where we should be going.

 

[Da Orky Man]

snip

That first paragraph really makes you sound like an old fart. Sure, it may be processed, but its also likely to be a hell of a lot healthier as well, since we can mess around with the biochemistry of it.

Anyway, myself I see no qualms for it. My guess is that within 30 years (To be safe), restaurants will offer both 'naturally grown' and in-vitro meat, with the in-vitro stuff being significantly cheaper.
The one thing I have wondered, which I have asked a muslim friend of mine, is whether or not lab-grown pork that has never been part of a pig counts as halal or not. He did not have an answer.

 

[Wadders]

snip

That first paragraph really makes you sound like an old fart. Sure, it may be processed, but its also likely to be a hell of a lot healthier as well, since we can mess around with the biochemistry of it.

Thanks.

I'll be sticking to meat that has a more identifiable origin, if it's all the same to you.

 

[Angie7F]

I am not sure how different it will be from the meat we are eating now.
i dont think the animals are really having healthy natural lives as it is.

 

[somonels]

Yes, please let it be that way! The alternative would be either bugs, which is still okay, but the third option would be to produce meat from our feces salvaged from the sewage.

 

[talker]

probably yes, if it tastes as good and provides the same nutrients as normal meat.

 

[templar1138a]

I would jokingly answer, "But the fact that it comes from a slaughtered animal is what makes it tasty!" but in all seriousness, I love meat, and I would have no issue with it if it came from a test tube instead of an animal. Not so much because of the "cruelty" element, but to reduce the cattle farming. Granted, there's still going to be some cattle, and that'll be okay too. I doubt Kobe beef can be grown in a tube, after all.

 

[fix-the-spade]

Considering that people already eat connective tissue, wood pulp and shit (literally) in their 'meat' I can't see a problem with feeding people vat grown material. It'll probably be cleaner than the real thing, if it's cheaper then it's a done deal, that stuff will be in Arbie's burgers before you know it.

 

[Meatspinner]

Depends if it has any nutritional value. Not to hot on eating the "Diet Coke" equivalent of meat products

 

[madwarper]

Am I the only one who read Bio-Meat: Nectar?

Anyway, while I would try eating it, I'd still stockpile flamethrowers in the event it escapes.