this post was submitted on 22 Mar 2024
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[–] Lugh@futurology.today 188 points 6 months ago (32 children)

Good news for pigs. I'll be delighted to see factory farming disappear and be replaced by tech like this.

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[–] Nomecks@lemmy.ca 93 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (5 children)

Technically kosher because there's no cloven hooves?

[–] casmael@lemm.ee 42 points 6 months ago (14 children)

As a technical Jew I can say that yes, this is technically kosher ^disclaimer: I have no knowledge at all of Jewish custom or scripture^

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[–] gregorum@lemm.ee 36 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (5 children)

They’re not technically kosher. Nor halal.

NOT YET

It hasn’t officially been ruled upon by either kosher or halal certification boards yet (although many Jewish and Islamic leaders have expressed differing opinions on the matter), but most lab meat growers very much hope it will be ruled as what is known as “parvere” — or not meat. That is to say, since it didn’t actually come from an animal, it’s not technically meat, it has no blood, wasn’t slaughtered, etc., and, as such is considered more in line with a vegetable or other foodstuff that isn’t milk or meat.

If lab meat is considered in this way, it could clear the way for Kosher and Halal certification as well as for Hindus who do not eat beef, and many others with objections to eating meat for various reasons.

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[–] DucktorZee@lemmy.world 29 points 6 months ago (12 children)

I culture cells for a living. Not that these are the only ways, but the most common and effective ways to grow cells in the lab is to add either FBS (fetal bovine serum) or BSA (bovine serum albumin) to the culture media. Currently we don't mass produce BSA in an animal free manner and FBS is by nature an animal product. Granted, that the products of one animal may in fact allow manufacturers produce more than enough 'animal-free meat' to overcome this but I haven't seen any numbers. I'm interested in hearing more about these techniques going forward and in determining if animal-free products can really be produced animal free.

[–] SlopppyEngineer@lemmy.world 41 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Do you use Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) to make your meat?

No, for a simple reason: we’re committed to making meat without causing any harm at all to animals. So we’ve developed a production process that doesn’t require FBS.

That's what they say.

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[–] ChonkyOwlbear@lemmy.world 84 points 6 months ago (12 children)

Sausage seems like the perfect entry point for this technology. People don't really care what goes in them as long as it tastes good. It's also a lot more forgiving from a texture perspective. It would even be feasible to expand to more exotic sausages like pheasant or alligator.

[–] KillingAndKindess@lemmy.blahaj.zone 23 points 6 months ago (7 children)

I know i'm in a significant minority, but I care a great deal what goes in processed pork products (or rather, my gut cares). I've yet to pin down which "preservative" commonly used in pork/pork-like products I'm allergic to, but I have a serious problem with even Kosher Hot dogs.

Basically, if its not fresh homemade bratwurst or sausage, I just can't eat it.

I'm sure that, if these methods continue to become more viable than their livestock counterparts, then the need to use at least some preservatives will decrease... hopefully.

[–] southsamurai@sh.itjust.works 14 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Man, that's gotta suck. Not knowing exactly what's causing the problem can mean it being a problem unexpectedly with other things.

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[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 58 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I'm skeptical. It's been really picking hard to get those things to grow in a vat. This would be a huge breakthrough, and popsci has a way of leaving out critical, fatal details.

[–] intensely_human@lemm.ee 16 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Such as “a claim proven by the hundred pounds of pseudo pork they shipped us overnight”?

I didn’t read the article. I assume this journalist made zero primary observations?

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[–] nifty@lemmy.world 44 points 6 months ago (4 children)

Sustainable sources of real meat without killing animals are very welcome! Good luck to them because killing things to eat meat is the worst.

My hope is that these alternative meat industries also factor in job creation opportunities for people who are working in conventional meat production right now—if there’s populist pressure towards moving for more lucrative and safer jobs in lab-manufactured meats, that would be help reduce pressure from farm industry lobbyists, I think.

But the above is a secondary goal (and maybe the responsibility of another party), and shouldn’t distract from the primary goal of researching methods to create sustainable, cruelty-free lab-manufactured meats!

[–] barsoap@lemm.ee 18 points 6 months ago (3 children)

people who are working in conventional meat production right now

The industry is ripe with conditions that at least approximate human trafficking and anything lab-grown sounds like basically completely automated, and where it isn't you need highly skilled professionals. Not of the "is dexterous and can learn to make a clean cut fast" kind, but of the "degree in cell biology" kind.

Jobs for people without advanced education are getting rarer and rarer, that isn't going to change, and don't look to industry to change that they have the exact opposite incentive. If, OTOH, you introduce something like an UBI soon you'll have a gazillion people getting into pottery or knife or furniture making or whatnot, again doing actual crafts because it's economically feasible because you don't have to sell your stuff for prices only rich people can afford just to make a living.

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[–] Brekky@lemmy.world 40 points 6 months ago (8 children)

This sounds like good news but what I don't want is one big corporation replacing hundreds/thousands of worldwide farmers and having total control over the cost of selling this to consumers.

[–] MashedTech@lemmy.world 40 points 6 months ago (3 children)

We need local individual owned stem cell meat farms.

[–] NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 16 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (3 children)

It'd really become an art if it became accessible enough to do locally. Getting the right texture, marbling, tenderness, etc.

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[–] BuryMyHorse@lemmy.world 11 points 6 months ago

Bladerunner

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[–] TenderfootGungi@lemmy.world 23 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Most of the production in the us already comes from 2-3 giant corporate farms. It is simply more effeciant.

[–] maynarkh@feddit.nl 15 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Those farms receive immense subsidies as well. No, it's not efficient, it's just what the US economic system produces.

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[–] Kecessa@sh.itjust.works 15 points 6 months ago (17 children)

Good news, these farmers can start growing stuff to feed humans instead!

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[–] revisable677@feddit.de 36 points 6 months ago (3 children)

I've been waiting for that for so long. Just hope governments and people give it a fair chance instead of jumping rashly negative conclusions just because it is lab grown. So is beer, and cheese, and most other things we consume.

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[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 33 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (3 children)

OK, but how does it taste?

Sausage is smart since you can get away with a lot of textural sins, and it's already expected to be packed with sodium.

Follow-up questions will also include price.

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[–] buzz86us@lemmy.world 26 points 6 months ago (2 children)

I like the idea, and I hope it scales to be significantly cheaper than murder sausage

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[–] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 22 points 6 months ago (1 children)

give me vegan-friendly bacon and I'm in. Sausage is easy.

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[–] kaffiene@lemmy.world 20 points 5 months ago (4 children)

Fantastic. I can't wait to have cruelty free meat products

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[–] southsamurai@sh.itjust.works 15 points 6 months ago

I'm not exactly what you would call concerned about meat as a food source. I'm fine with it. But anything that can break the need for industrial farming is a damn good thing imo.

I'm eager for a good product to come to market so I can at least try it. So far, there hasn't been one that's available that's priced well enough to be a viable choice, nor that matches expectations of taste. Textures have gotten good though.

But I think a sausage format is a great place for cultured meats to break into because there's a wide range of ingredients with different flavors already. We're used to sausages being fairly varied in taste and texture, so adding a new type is less of a "new food" barrier. Tbh though, it's gotta be better than veggie sausages, those are pretty meh at best.

[–] Aermis@lemmy.world 12 points 6 months ago

Ok can it be translated to meat on the table with costs and impact being less than actual pig slaughtering? I wouldn't even mind the taste being a little different

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