Laboratory Meat

[GORDON]

I keep reading stories about meat grown in labs, like this one:

http://www.rawstory.com/rs....is-year

To save the poor animals from having to live lives only to be slaughtered as meat... anthropomorphizing like crazy.

Personally, I think I will pass on this until the government forbids raising livestock all together (and I think they will, eventually). Or until it is produced in such bulk that a pound of lean hamburger costs a nickle, and there is no difference in taste... but I can't imagine them getting to the point where there is no difference in taste.

[thibodeaux]

Well, first of all, the idea that eating meat is a "global catastrophe" and we should all become vegetarians is the usually left-wing bullshit. They want us to be vegetarian because vegetarians are pussies. Seriously; a vegetarian diet, especially one where you've replaced animal protein with soy, messes up your testosterone. A population of vegetarian pussies is much easier to control.

At any rate, I would be surprised if they're able to create a product that has the same nutritional value as meat. Sure, it'll have protein and calories, and you could live on it, but the same is true of that vegetable-oil-fake-cheese crap, too.

[TPRJones]

I like to eat canned meats. Clearly I'll eat anything.

I wouldn't want a lab-grown steak, and I'll hold off on lab-grown hamburger until it's super realistic, but if you turn it into hot dogs and vienna sausages I'll try it.

[TheCatt]

My FIL believes that within 30 years, meat will become too expensive for people to eat as much as they do today, given what the agricultural productivity we've experience over the last 50 years, etc depended on. He's sees the current levels of productivity growth as unsustainable, etc, especially if we have fossil fuel issues. (Note: he's a food biochemist, so actually knows a lot about food production, etc).

As for lab meat, if it really can be as tasty as other meat, and cheaper, Sure.

[thibodeaux]

The paleo-people assert that switching meat production from grain-fed animals to pastured animals would be sustainable. I don't know if anybody has actually run the numbers.

Especially since "sustainable" is not really something you can prove or disprove.



Edited By thibodeaux on 1329753151

[TheCatt]

Well.. the number of acres of land available for grain/pastures should be known or estimable. The density of animals per acres should also. The conversion/efficiency factor between grain and pastures should be too.

So you could certainly estimate with current numbers whether or not it's possible. Sustainable opens up other questions, since it implies year after year continuous production.

[GORDON]

There are absolute shitloads of empty grassland out west.

I play with the idea of putting a cow on my half acre of grass.