Several regions of China are suffering from horrendous pollution. On the worse smog days many citizens wear masks to filter out airborne contaminants so they can breathe. China has resolved to go green, and part of their commitment to combat the pollution is to reduce their meat consumption by fifty percent. This ambitious objective has resulted in China inking a deal with Israel to import $300 million of “clean meat.”
Here’s a little background on clean meat. It is also known as cultured meat, in vitro meat, and bio meat. The first synthetic burger was introduced to the world in 2013 by Professor Mark Post of Maastricht University in The Netherlands. The “clean” burger is grown from stem cells which makes it cruelty-free. Although there’s some debate about how the cells are and will be captured, scientists continue to research ways to produce cells from other cells and not take them from animals. According to Merriam-Webster a stem-cell is “an unspecialized cell capable of perpetuating itself through cell division and having the potential to give rise to differentiated cells with specialized function.” This means that a single turkey cell could produce enough muscle to manufacture 20 trillion turkey nuggets.
The original synthetic burger, created in 2013, cost more than $300,000 to produce. But Professor Post anticipates that the burgers will be affordable and available in supermarkets by 2018. The main challenge is to create enough demand to reduce the price of the burgers. Right now, five ounces (an average burger patty) costs about $11.
There are several companies leading the charge to create the most delicious and healthy synthetic meat using stem cells. Memphis Meats (in which Richard Branson and Bill Gates invested) in California, Perdue, Hampton Creek, and three Israeli companies: SuperMeat, Future Meat Technologies, and Meat the Future.
This agreement between the two countries is significant because China imported over $10 billion worth of meat in 2016, an increase of $2 billion from 2010. Clean meat can completely change the global meat industry. Lab-grown meat can reduce the carbon monoxide pollution as factory farms contribute 14.5 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Growing meat in labs could decrease the carbon monoxide produced by factory farms by 90 percent and reduce land use by 99 percent.
Bruce Friedrich, Executive Director of The Good Food Institute, advocates for meat alternatives. He explained that “[t]his could put [lab-made] meat onto the radar of Chinese officials who have the capacity to steer billions of dollars into this technology.”
Vegetarians and vegans might not enjoy such a genuine meat taste. Beyond Burgers and its ilk taste authentic enough. However, meat lovers who can’t give up the real stuff will be satisfied with the cultured meat. Proponents say it’s faster and easier to produce bio meat than to convert every person in the world into vegans.
Two major food and environmental concerns for the future are feeding 9.7 billion people by 2050 and reversing climate change. Clean meat can solve both issues. For animal activists, eliminating factory farms and sparing animals from a life of suffering followed by violent slaughter may be best benefit of all.

I hope this is true, that vivisection is not involved.
Det. Thorn: It’s people. Soylent Green is made out of people. They’re making our food out of people. Next thing they’ll be breeding us like cattle for food. You’ve gotta tell them. You’ve gotta tell them!
Hatcher: I promise, Tiger. I promise. I’ll tell the exchange.
Det. Thorn: You tell everybody. Listen to me, Hatcher. You’ve gotta tell them! Soylent Green is people! We’ve gotta stop them somehow!”
OH MY GOD!!!!!! This has just made my day!!! Now if the Chinese could really get animal conscious and ban dog and cat torture for meat and stop animal testing. Maybe there’s hope for this world after all!!!!????????????
If I thought this would ban the dog and cat meat trade I would be thrilled..but unfortunately I don’t think that’s the motive here. I signed a ton of petitions the other day and just got an update..looks like the sick idiots want to be called *dog farmers* & are protesting all attempts to ban it. They now want to be recognized as a legal business & held a large protest in response to so many if us who want It to end. It makes me sick to think what may happen..
I heard about this as well. They call themselves an “industry”. why can’t even the dog and cat meat trade be forced to stop butchering pets in China?
IF- This WORKS … (And it appeared to taste real enough) there would be less suffering for the worlds animals and would usher in a better environment for us all to exist.. Then there is the issue of “Stem Cells” to begin with. …Oh Well…Can’t have it all. There must be balance within the Universe
i think this is a good option for people. and it is a lot better than them eating dog ‘meat’!
What has happened in polluted China is the same course trump is putting America on – polluted water, polluted air, climate denier, polluted earth, as he eliminates all of the environmental protections we have carefully put into place to keep America clean. Do we want to end up like China – thoroughly polluted?
Maybe China can now stop torturing dogs and cats for consumption.
Hmm. Not sure about this. How are they procuring their stem cells? Is it being done humanely and cruelty free? Time will tell I guess. Will it be a healthy alternative for us? Watch this space.
Agree Leanne..this sounds a little worrisome right now. I’m not on board yet. Too many unanswered questions about the stem she’ll procurement etc..all a little too secretive sounding. Not enough facts about any of it.
Oh no, pink slime is making a comeback.