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Home: Information and Discussion: VegFilter:
Test Tube Frog and Mouse Meat

 


Myron
Number Six


Mar 29, 2006, 3:09 PM
Post #1 of 20 (1277 views)
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Test Tube Frog and Mouse Meat Can't Post - Sign Up!
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060327.MEAT27/TPStory/?query=meat+starter+cells


Scientists can grow frog and mouse meat in the lab, and are now working on pork, beef and chicken. Their goal is to develop an industrial version of the process in five years.

If they succeed, cultured or in vitro meat could be coming to a supermarket near you. Consumers could buy hamburger patties and chicken nuggets made from meat cultivated from muscle cells in a giant incubator rather than cut from a farm animal.

Question: would you eat it?


(This post was edited by Myron on Mar 29, 2006, 3:11 PM)


ursa minor
Mysterion


Mar 29, 2006, 4:04 PM
Post #2 of 20 (1270 views)
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Re: [Myron] Test Tube Frog and Mouse Meat [In reply to] Can't Post - Sign Up!
No. I have plenty of other good plant-based stuff, grown naturally in the earth far away from labs and test tubes, to eat. Hungry


gldnrayshow
Postmaster General


Mar 29, 2006, 4:36 PM
Post #3 of 20 (1267 views)
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Re: [Myron] Test Tube Frog and Mouse Meat [In reply to] Can't Post - Sign Up!
In Reply To:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060327.MEAT27/TPStory/?query=meat+starter+cells


Scientists can grow frog and mouse meat in the lab, and are now working on pork, beef and chicken. Their goal is to develop an industrial version of the process in five years.

If they succeed, cultured or in vitro meat could be coming to a supermarket near you. Consumers could buy hamburger patties and chicken nuggets made from meat cultivated from muscle cells in a giant incubator rather than cut from a farm animal.

Question: would you eat it?

 
I might, if I could be sure that there was nothing wacky about it like bad prion proteins or bacterial contaminants. Also, if it requires substantially more energy to produce than regular animal meat then I suppose I'd have a hard time justifying it based on energy consumption. However, it sounds as if it's simply a culture of bacteria that need a fairly simple agarose-type medium.

I don't see vat-meat as significantly different than tofu, and it's certainly a lot less gross than dead animal. It would essentially be the same process used to generate insulin for diabetics, and I think that's a lot better than the kill-all-the-pigs-you-can version that was used before transgenic bioengineering (insulin used to come from pig brains).


tempest
Cat Dancer / Moderator


Mar 29, 2006, 4:52 PM
Post #4 of 20 (1265 views)
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Re: [Myron] Test Tube Frog and Mouse Meat [In reply to] Can't Post - Sign Up!
I wouldn't eat it. Gross!


cayenne
Sgt. Pepper / Moderator


Mar 29, 2006, 4:53 PM
Post #5 of 20 (1265 views)
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Re: [Myron] Test Tube Frog and Mouse Meat [In reply to] Can't Post - Sign Up!
Did you read the part about how the only group who wanted to give the researcher money wanted to grow human cells to eat? And yet, the researcher turned them down. Why, what's wrong with lab-grown human meat? It's not like any people were killed for it.

To answer your question, Myron, I don't know.


lauraliebe02
Member

Mar 30, 2006, 4:07 AM
Post #6 of 20 (1257 views)
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Re: [Myron] Test Tube Frog and Mouse Meat [In reply to] Can't Post - Sign Up!
If it's still from muscle cells of animals I'm out.

If I wanted to eat meat I would be like other people and just not care where it comes from.


Dragonfly
Granola Girl


Mar 30, 2006, 7:32 AM
Post #7 of 20 (1250 views)
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Re: [Myron] Test Tube Frog and Mouse Meat [In reply to] Can't Post - Sign Up!
No, thank you. Not only is that gross, but it's still not going to be any healthier for your body than flesh straight from the animal itself.


Elendil
Member


Mar 30, 2006, 7:57 AM
Post #8 of 20 (1249 views)
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Re: [cayenne] Test Tube Frog and Mouse Meat [In reply to] Can't Post - Sign Up!
In Reply To:


Did you read the part about how the only group who wanted to give the researcher money wanted to grow human cells to eat? And yet, the researcher turned them down. Why, what's wrong with lab-grown human meat? It's not like any people were killed for it




yeah I wondered about that. I think it's rather cannabalistic but technically it is no different than eating the flesh of another animal. Humans are animals and are made up of the same protiens. If they put some human tissue in a hot dog I doubt anyone would notice.


as for me personally, I wouldn't eat any meat if I have a choice, invitro or not.


Marina
Member


Mar 30, 2006, 10:18 AM
Post #9 of 20 (1247 views)
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Re: [Myron] Test Tube Frog and Mouse Meat [In reply to] Can't Post - Sign Up!
No, thanks. Whether it comes from a formerly live animal or from the muscle cells of an animal, meat is equally damaging to health.


Karl
Vegetarian Knight


Apr 1, 2006, 3:53 AM
Post #10 of 20 (1221 views)
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Re: [Myron] Test Tube Frog and Mouse Meat [In reply to] Can't Post - Sign Up!
No way ... but if this had existed 3 years ago, I probably would have never gone veg to begin with!

I'd happily feed it to my cats as long as it was safe, though. Smile


TigerFeatherz
Novice


Apr 1, 2006, 9:53 AM
Post #11 of 20 (1216 views)
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Re: [Myron] Test Tube Frog and Mouse Meat [In reply to] Can't Post - Sign Up!
Ugh... It would probably be worse than 'real' meat. No thanks.

Besides, if nothing else, they will only be able to grow a shapeless blob for quite some time. It won't be a 'steak' or anything.

Save the cows!


Myron
Number Six


Apr 5, 2006, 6:43 PM
Post #12 of 20 (1193 views)
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Re: [Myron] Test Tube Frog and Mouse Meat [In reply to] Can't Post - Sign Up!
Great answers folks!

I personally would have to evaluate it against the three reasons for going veg:

(1) Environmental reasons - if the meat takes lots of resources/energy to make, or results in pollution, then it would not meet this criteria.

(2) Ethical reasons - I suppose there is no cruelty involved here so I think it would pass the test. (More ethical considerations should be made as to whether it is reasonable to grow flesh in a test tube...)

(3) Health reasons - test-tube meat will probably be just as unhealthy as normal meat unless they somehow modify it to be more like vegetables.


ursa minor
Mysterion


Apr 5, 2006, 6:47 PM
Post #13 of 20 (1192 views)
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Re: [Myron] Test Tube Frog and Mouse Meat [In reply to] Can't Post - Sign Up!
In Reply To:
(3) Health reasons - test-tube meat will probably be just as unhealthy as normal meat unless they somehow modify it to be more like vegetables.

Well, it almost seems easier just to grow normal, real vegetables in the first place, doesn't it?


sevarg
User


Apr 6, 2006, 12:45 PM
Post #14 of 20 (1185 views)
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Re: [Myron] Test Tube Frog and Mouse Meat [In reply to] Can't Post - Sign Up!
I really like your post. I did not become vegetarian because I was grossed out by meat. I love and respect animals and did not them murdered just so I could eat them. This test tube meat avoids that issue but the fact that it will still take much more food to make meat than the food produced is very compelling. Also, god knows what kind of environmental impact such a factory would have.


Myron
Number Six


Apr 6, 2006, 2:38 PM
Post #15 of 20 (1182 views)
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Re: [ursa minor] Test Tube Frog and Mouse Meat [In reply to] Can't Post - Sign Up!
In Reply To:
Well, it almost seems easier just to grow normal, real vegetables in the first place, doesn't it?


I'm sorry ursa minor, that is just too reasonable to be practical. Tongue


Myron
Number Six


Apr 6, 2006, 2:40 PM
Post #16 of 20 (1181 views)
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Re: [dingbatdr] Test Tube Frog and Mouse Meat [In reply to] Can't Post - Sign Up!
Thanks dingbatdr. (It is funny, I just realized that my answer ended up basically being a summary of what everyone else wrote.)


Lisa
Artsy Tartsy


May 3, 2006, 5:49 AM
Post #17 of 20 (1111 views)
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Re: [Myron] Test Tube Frog and Mouse Meat [In reply to] Can't Post - Sign Up!
The current VegNews carries a feature story about lab-grown meat, which got me thinking about this topic again. I wouldn't eat it myself, but I'll say this: If it's proven to be as safe as the real thing, I would gladly buy cat food made from lab-grown meat. I hate having cans of dead animals in my house for my cat, but she has to eat, and I'm not convinced the vegan alternatives are the best thing for her.


(This post was edited by Lisa on May 3, 2006, 1:27 PM)


sevarg
User


May 3, 2006, 12:22 PM
Post #18 of 20 (1104 views)
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Re: [Lisa] Test Tube Frog and Mouse Meat [In reply to] Can't Post - Sign Up!
My vet certainly agrees with you.


Elendil
Member


May 3, 2006, 7:36 PM
Post #19 of 20 (1093 views)
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Re: [Lisa] Test Tube Frog and Mouse Meat [In reply to] Can't Post - Sign Up!
In Reply To:
If it's proven to be as safe as the real thing, I would gladly buy cat food made from lab-grown meat. I hate having cans of dead animals in my house for my cat, but she has to eat, and I'm not convinced the vegan alternatives are the best thing for her._____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Idea That is such a great idea. If they made something like that I'd definitely buy it for my kitty as well.


emziash
Member


May 11, 2006, 7:50 AM
Post #20 of 20 (1068 views)
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Re: [Elendil] Test Tube Frog and Mouse Meat [In reply to] Can't Post - Sign Up!
I'd definately buy in for the catfood idea but I would not feel at all comfortable eating it myself.
In essence it'd still be tissue from something that was once living, even if it is replicated and cloned.
But for my meat eating kitties, sure

- Emzi x

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