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"What the many inventors and investors featured in Clean Meat remind us of is that we’re not bound to history. We can be better."

Sure, why not?

So long, of course, as it isn't harmful, is as tasty, and cheap

Lots of straw men in that article.

As if the only alternatives to "Clean Meat" were other engineered meats like McDonald's and Jack-in-the-Box. And it's quite disingenuous for the article to suggest that genetic manipulation of stem cells is on the same order as freezing water.

As long as there is a profit motive, any such endeavor will end up eventually trying to lower its costs and improving its taste by using all kinds of potentially unhealthy fillers and preservatives and "mouth-feel" chemicals. We already have a good example of this in the supposedly healthy "fat-free" foods on the market. They are usually spiked with even more sugar, salt, and other potentially unhealthy ingredients in order to make their taste more acceptable. No reason to think that this "clean meat' would be any different.

When billionairies like Richard Branson and Bill Gates are pushing a venture, it's usually best to keep your wallet in your front pocket.

Not a win for vegans, in my opinion.

Distilling then freezing water is more direct/simple than growing animal tissue. "artificial" vs "on demand" is a marketing problem.

I like the idea of growing/regrowing tissue. How about a tooth or maybe a kidney to start?

I suspect it's only a matter of time before we have lab grown 'artificial' meat. Which is kinda cool.

Loads of potential for good in such an invention - helping combat poverty or food issues caused environmental issues, possible reductions in environmental damage, freeing up of land, and of, course, vegan meat.

I wonder what the downsides will be?

In my teen years I told my family and friends that in the future it would be possible to grow a wall of meat. I was dismissed entirely.

I still see it coming. I was raised on pasture grown cattle (and un-Pasteurized milk). I doubt this would taste the same but then neither does store beef.

It sounds superstitious (and I'm pretty sure it is) but I wonder if there will be an ineffable loss of a spiritual connection with the meat. When I eat the meat I'm eating now I never feel any connection to an animal and that IS less satisfying in a weird way. I accept that loss of satisfaction in favor of being disassociated from the killing part. (And I have no access to farm grown meat now.)
It is clear that the effects of the meat producing animal using it's muscles would probably not be evident, the changes in flavor of this cut over that and "The meat tastes sweeter next to the bone", etc... would be lost.

Still, killing an animal is something I'd like to avoid. We are clearly damaging the environment with meat production.
I'm in, but I'm pretty sure rich folk will not be eating this.

-Mary Mowder

In 1973 there was a movie about a similar idea . . . and the rich folk weren't eating it.

Lol.

Side question: Is eating artificial human flesh still cannibalism?

Still disgusting to me, even if it were my own cells. (Maybe especially).

When " a movie " came out with that theme I took my Brothers to see it. I snuck in Space food sticks as snacks for the movie and shared them liberally (I'd seen it before). After the Movie my Brothers were grossed out but laughing.

For the youthful readers, "Space Food Sticks" were a fairly playdough like tube of "food" that was heavily promoted as a tasty snack in Chocolate and Peanut butter "flavor" for a very short time (as they were horrible. LOL).

-Mary Mowder

Ha, ha . That's quite a cool prank.

Nice article Twister(!).

Reading through the post,
two 'quotes' came to mind.

1.) "Let them eat cake."

2.) "Eat the rich."

,....both made me smile. 🙃

,...I guess a 'third' should be,...sung(?),..added.
Altogether now:
🎶...for the times, they are a changin'. 🎶

Let's a have a great 'new' year, together.
gallagher

Gates and Branson donated tissue to the growers so you can now truly eat the rich for dinner?

It's another white meat. You want Chinese, Korean, we got fine Italian too

There's a very funny scene in the movie "Why Him?" where celebrity cooks offer wealthy clients an entree of "edible soil"! Hilarious. Lynn