Cultured Meat

Cultured Meat – also known as in vitro meat – is animal flesh that has never been part of a complete living animal. Some scientists are experimenting with growing meat in this way as a food source. Apparently, now that the experiments are approaching the point where there is a real possibility that such products will reach the market, some vegetarians are reacting in horror to the very idea. I can’t quite see it myself. Meat grown in this way seems to me to be more akin to growing mushrooms than raising animals for slaughter.

 

Anyway, Kevin T. Keith has a good summary of the pro and con arguments over at Sufficient Scruples.

 

And I’m grateful to the Wikipedia entry for reminding me about Iain M. Banks’ joke in The State of the Art about "Stewed Idi Amin and General Pinochet Chilli con Carne"… I must find time to re-read the book some time…