This story is originally from November 2021.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, a facility in the state of California is capable of manufacturing lab-grown meat. And what makes this story even more surreal is that the facility has been equipped to produce around 400,000 pounds every single year. But that would a contingency thing- as currently, the facility caps out at 50,000 pounds a year- still impressive nonetheless. This facility is managed by Upside Foods, and measures around 53,000 square feet.
Incidentally, such produce is seemingly getting massive traction throughout the world. New facilities are opening up every day in light of the tangible benefits. Such meat would definitely end our dependence on raising livestock. And this could further improve greenhouse gas emissions. So all in all, not a bad deal to begin with.[1]
But there is something one has to remember before they start jumping with joy. The FDA hasn’t yet cleared this facility for producing lab-grown meat. Nevertheless, this hasn’t been any sort of deterrence to the CEO Amy Chen. Speaking to the Chronicle, Chen stated, “It’s not a dream. It’s not science fiction. It’s a reality today.” For those wondering, this product is created in exactly the same way as other lab-grown products.
The cells are taken from living, breathing animals and then cultivated in bioreactors. For this purpose, specialized nutrients are used- with creates scaffold-like meat that is then categorized into different segments of muscle and fat. The company assures us that they would definitely be given the green light. In the meantime, they have been reaching out to different chefs and restaurants to sample their products.
Read: Vertical Greenhouse to Grow 2M Pounds of Produce
Lab-Grown Meat Could Be The Next Big Thing!
There is a heavy demand for lab-grown meat in the current century. And this demand is the result of humans increasing their consumption of meat over the years. According to a report from the Worldwatch Institute, the production of meat has apparently tripped over the last four decades. Interestingly, production has increased by 20% in just the last 10 years. And more production of meat entails higher carbon emissions that would be feeding upon climate change. Since this issue doesn’t just affect a single country- but the whole world- several companies have decided to work on green alternatives. And Upside Foods is one such company.[2]
The company has stated, “We’re committed to completely detaching our production process from animal slaughter. Our aim is to bring animal component-free products to market as soon as we can.” The technology behind it is quite unique. “We feed the cell a range of nutrients (amino acids, sugars, trace minerals, and vitamins) normally found in food and compositionally similar to what develops organically in animal body, just in a different format. The initial cells are obtained through a variety of methods which includes biopsies from living animals, eggs, fishing, and recently slaughtered animals who were already a part of the food system.”
We might not know if lab-grown meat tastes the same- but it is certainly far more harmless to the environment.
Keep Reading: Video Reveals ‘Deeply Disturbing’ Treatment Of Cows Killed For Leather
Sources
- “‘It’s not science fiction’: New East Bay facility producing lab-grown meat plans to produce 400,000 pounds per year” San Francisco Chronicle. November 2021.
- “CALIFORNIA FACTORY PRODUCING 50,000 LBS OF LAB-GROWN MEAT PER YEAR.” Futurism. Victor Tangermann. 2021.
- “California’s New Lab-Grown Meat Facility Is the Most Advanced in the World.” Interesting Engineering. Irmak Bayrakdar. December 15, 2021.