Two people ate a hamburger yesterday n London. What is the big deal, you would say as millions around the world eat hamburgers in fast food restaurants. The hamburger was a little expensive though and took around $330000 to produce. The reason why this burger was so expensive was because the meat used to prepare the burger did not come from a cow but from a laboratory. Yes, you guessed it right. This was a test tube hamburger just like test tube babies that are so popular among the people around the world.
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Scientists in Maastricht University in Holland have succeeded in producing synthetic meat in laboratory by extracting stem cells from the shoulder of the animal and placing it in a broth full of nutrients. The project was funded by Sergey Brin, co founder of Google. The testers who ate the hamburger said that the meat tasted like meat and as meat but it was not really the same experience as eating the real hamburger. However, it was not very important for the scientists if the flavor or the taste of the meat was not as good as the real thing as they are more interested in exploiting the full potential of synthetic meat. Imagine a time in future when it would become possible to get the supply of meat and beef from laboratories and not be dependent upon animals to be raised in poultry farms and cattle farms around the world.
If meat can be produced in science labs instead of cattle raised in cattle farms, there would be lesser health risks and contamination than are there at present because of no or very little control over the food that is given to cattle and the environment in which they are raised in cattle sheds. Most importantly, the ethical questions that are always raised by the vegetarians will be solved forever if this project becomes commercially successful.
The belief behind producing synthetic meat lies in its efficiency and health. With the population of the world nearing 9 billion, the demand for meat is growing exponentially and it has become difficult to keep pace with this demand. Despite livestock farmers trying manfully to increase the supply of meat, the increasing prices of meat indicate that it has become difficult to fulfill the requirements of non vegetarians around the world.
THe potential benefits of synthetic meat are immense
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Producing synthetic meat would require only 1% of the manpower that is at present engaged in livestock across the
world. It would also require just 1% of the land resources that are used up in raising cattle and just 4% of the water that is being used at present. But what is more important is the fact that synthetic meat would turn all non vegetarians into vegetarians. With no killing of animals and no torture involved n the manufacturing of synthetic meat, it would become stress free for all those who feel guilty while eating meat or beef at present.
