MEAT without the MOO

Cultivated meat could be heading to a supermarket near you, but would you be happy to tuck in?

- TANYA PEAREY

In just a few years time it may be possible to bite into a juicy, meaty burger - made from real beef - without a single animal killed in the making of it. This might sound like outlandish science fiction but it is, in reality, science fact.

Because the truth is that we already have the technology to grow meat in a laboratory without the need to slaughter animals. The question is whether we can stomach the idea of it enough to scale up the process to make it commercially viable and commonplace. Supporters say we need to be able to or find other solutions - because our planet can't sustain the projected demand for meat in the way it's currently produced.

What is it?

Lab-grown meat, or what the food industry calls cultivated or cultured meat, is grown by culturing animal cells in a large, stainless steel tank called a cultivator. Fat or muscle stem cells are taken from a live animal (or from eggs for poultry) and fed nutrients and growth stimulants to make the cells divide and grow into a whole piece of meat. This is then shaped as needed into burgers, nuggets, strips or mince, for example.

Why the demand?