This is actually tremendously good news, assuming the stuff is palatable. Beef cattle is horrifyingly expensive in terms of land and feed and water (and, yes, methane emissions and, for other livestock, waste management), but those costs are largely hidden through water subsidies and land use agreements and the like. And that ignores the moral considerations around animal raising conditions and slaughter.
(He said, having just gotten home from a huge meat dinner. Do as I blog, not as I blog I do.)
There will be economic displacement for cattle ranch owners and workers, certainly, though I suspect that "artisan beef" will never go completely away, even if the "cultured" stuff is tasty. But it could be both an economic necessity and a positive outcome if, half a century from now, the vast cattle ranches of the US (and other countries) are historic artifacts.
NT Cattlemen’s Association to hear that ‘cultured meat’ could end their industry within decades
The scientist who served up the world’s first laboratory grown beef burger believes ‘cultured meat’ could spell the end of traditional cattle farming within just a few decades. That’s not the news Australia’s multi-billion dollar beef industry wants to hear – but it’s the message that Dutch Professor Mark Post will be taking to the Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association today when he addresses their annual conference in Darwin.
If it's tasty, I will convert instantly.
Except for stir fry. They have to manufacture good stir-fry meat.
Do not forget about the possibilities of Soylent Green!
I've often said that if they can make artificial meat that tastes and smells as good as real meat, and isn't ridiculously more expensive, that I'd willingly go vegetarian that instant.
+Isaac Sher Well, would it be vegetarian, strictly speaking? It's still originally derived from beef tissue.
I think it would be worth it just to see the vegetarian debate over the matter.
Vegetarian in the sense that no cows were killed to feed me that meat.
+Isaac Sher Depends on how the original tissue samples were extracted. But, yes, I see your point. I suspect some vegetarians would still consider it an animal product and decline on those grounds.
(I've seen some folk protest against tofurky, for example, because it supposedly seems like it's eating an animal, and thus is morally suspect.)
I have no personal compunction against something that tastes and feels decently like meat of various sorts that is produced by some means other than slaughtering the animal that produced it. In fact, I'd much prefer it that way.
In the 21st century, isn't all of our food supposed to be consumed in pill form anyway? While we're flying to work in our cars? With our robot valets?
Fly to work? Sure. Robot valet? No problem. But the pill thing will never fly with me. I REALLY LIKE food.
But the pills taste just like a 7-course meal! All at once!
+Scott Randel It worked so well for Willy Wonka …
It's already possible to consume a whole meal as a pill. It's just that the pill is much bigger than we expected. We call them burritos! 😄
+David Newman Mmmm … burritos …