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Despite its popularity, meat — both in its production
and in its consumption — has a number of adverse effects
on human health, environmental quality, and animal welfare.
These include: diseases associated with the over-consumption
of animal fats; meat-borne pathogens and contaminants; antibiotic-resistant
bacteria due to the routine use of antibiotics in livestock;
inefficient use of resources in cycling grains and water through
animals to produce protein; soil, air, and water pollution
from farm animal wastes; and inhumane treatment of farm animals.
As meat consumption continues to increase, worldwide, these
problems are now a global concern.
As a result, there is an increasing market for meat substitutes
that have the taste and texture of meat, but do not cause
the problems associated with conventional meat. Meat substitutes
can be made from plants such as soybeans, peas, or wheat;
mycoproteins; or from animal tissues grown in culture. There
are several plant- and mycoprotein-based meat substitutes
already on the market. Click
here for examples.
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One novel line of research is to
produce meat in vitro, in a cell culture, rather than from an
animal. The production of such "cultured meat" begins
by taking a number of cells from a farm animal and proliferating
them in a nutrient—rich medium. Cells are capable of multiplying
so many times in culture that, in theory, a single cell could
be used to produce enough meat to feed the global population
for a year. After the cells are multiplied, they are attached
to a sponge-like "scaffold" and soaked with nutrients.
They may also be mechanically stretched to increase their size
and protein content. The resulting cells can then be harvested,
seasoned, cooked, and consumed as a boneless, processed meat,
such as sausage, hamburger, or chicken nuggets.
about meat substitutes
about problems with conventional meat
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