News on China's scientific and technological development.
- Thread starter Quickie
- Start date
China makes massive investment in Israeli lab meat technology
$300 million deal sees Chinese partner with Israeli high-tech companies battling global warming
By September 17, 2017, 4:44
Burgers produced from animal cells in a laboratory. (Youtube screenshot)
China has signed a $300 million deal to partner with Israeli high-tech companies working to create laboratory-grown meat as the Asian giant looks to embrace technologies that will help it cut down on harmful emissions and pollution.
Israeli companies , Future Meat Technologies, and Meat the Future are three of only eight companies in the world growing meat from animal cells in laboratories, reported.
The move potentially opens up the massive Asian economy for the Israeli companies. The Chinese market is potentially huge: China imported meat worth more than $10 billion in 2016, according to the International Trade Centre.
As the country modernized and the standard of living rose for the average Chinese, meat consumption has rocketed.
“It is a colossal market opportunity,” said Bruce Friedrich, head of the The Good Food Institute (GFI), which supports and lobbies on behalf of meat alternative interests. “This could put [lab-made] meat onto the radar of Chinese officials who have the capacity to steer billions of dollars into this technology.”
The move is expected to garner applause from environmentalists as a step toward reducing greenhouse gases.
Livestock produces methane gas, which produces 21 times as much climate warming as carbon dioxide, which — also harmful — is released when large tracts of forest are cleared for pasture. Globally, livestock raising is responsible for 14.5 percent of all greenhouse gas pollution.
China has already announced a plan to cut Chinese meat consumption by half.
Last week, the state-run China Science and Technology Daily ran an article (in Chinese) advocating lab-produced meat as a safe and environmentally more acceptable way of eating meat.
“You have two identical products, one for which you have to slaughter the cattle to get,” the article said. “‘The other is exactly the same, and cheaper, no greenhouse gas emissions, no animal slaughter. Which one would you choose?”
Many animal rights groups have welcomed the development of lab meat as an alternative to massive animal slaughter in the meat industry.
Some vegans, however, oppose any use of animal tissue and are waiting for a totally animal-free alternative.
$300 million deal sees Chinese partner with Israeli high-tech companies battling global warming
By September 17, 2017, 4:44
Burgers produced from animal cells in a laboratory. (Youtube screenshot)
China has signed a $300 million deal to partner with Israeli high-tech companies working to create laboratory-grown meat as the Asian giant looks to embrace technologies that will help it cut down on harmful emissions and pollution.
Israeli companies , Future Meat Technologies, and Meat the Future are three of only eight companies in the world growing meat from animal cells in laboratories, reported.
The move potentially opens up the massive Asian economy for the Israeli companies. The Chinese market is potentially huge: China imported meat worth more than $10 billion in 2016, according to the International Trade Centre.
As the country modernized and the standard of living rose for the average Chinese, meat consumption has rocketed.
“It is a colossal market opportunity,” said Bruce Friedrich, head of the The Good Food Institute (GFI), which supports and lobbies on behalf of meat alternative interests. “This could put [lab-made] meat onto the radar of Chinese officials who have the capacity to steer billions of dollars into this technology.”
The move is expected to garner applause from environmentalists as a step toward reducing greenhouse gases.
Livestock produces methane gas, which produces 21 times as much climate warming as carbon dioxide, which — also harmful — is released when large tracts of forest are cleared for pasture. Globally, livestock raising is responsible for 14.5 percent of all greenhouse gas pollution.
China has already announced a plan to cut Chinese meat consumption by half.
Last week, the state-run China Science and Technology Daily ran an article (in Chinese) advocating lab-produced meat as a safe and environmentally more acceptable way of eating meat.
“You have two identical products, one for which you have to slaughter the cattle to get,” the article said. “‘The other is exactly the same, and cheaper, no greenhouse gas emissions, no animal slaughter. Which one would you choose?”
Many animal rights groups have welcomed the development of lab meat as an alternative to massive animal slaughter in the meat industry.
Some vegans, however, oppose any use of animal tissue and are waiting for a totally animal-free alternative.
solarz
Brigadier
There some things in this world that just ain't right, and lab-grown meat is one of them.
Why, I can't see anything morally wrong with it.
A lab producing fresh meat in spacecraft engaged in inter planet, solar system travel, might be the only feasible way to ha e fresh meat served up as part of the weekly diet.
vesicles
Colonel
The technology for growing isolated animal cells into tissues is still not there yet. We can now grow intestines long enough (a few millimeters to centimeters) to be transplanted into mice. This is not about size. Major technical hurtles must be passed in order to grow tissues to large sizes. We are not there yet.
Let's forget about the technical issues and only focus on the other issues.
First of all, the moral issue. I'm not sure if this "SuperMeat" is more humane than raising livestock. To grow cells into tissues, you will need to use tons and tons of growth medium. And a main ingredient in the growth medium is serum. And to get serum, you will need to bleed animals, i.e. slaughter them. There are also other materials that must be developed from animal parts. So you kill animals no matter what... In fact, you will have to kill more animals for these lab meats than simply having livestocks and selling meat to consumers. Just imagine. Teens, maybe hundreds, of animals will have to slaughtered to grow one ounce of lab meat. this is only assuming they have already obtained the technology. Their website says they are still in the development phase. That means they will need tons upon tons upon tons of animal materials before they can finish their development. that's thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of animals slaughtered simply for their use alone... I may sound like I'm exaggerating, but I'm actually not. If anything, I'm underestimating...
To keep their lab free of bacterial contamination, they will need antibodies. Where do you get antibodies? You need animals! You inject animals (most likely goats or rabbits) with bacterial parts. When the animals develop enough antibodies in their bodies, you bleed them dry...
Secondly, the price tag. they claim the lab meat will be cheaper. I am also not sure about that. Simply growing cells is super expensive. One bottle (500ml) of bovine calf serum now costs ~$1,200-$1,500. And this bottle of serum is enough for a lab of 5 people to maintain mammalian cells in their experiments for about 2 weeks. That's a super small operation. Just imagine how much you will have to pay for serum alone if you have a mid-sized company that specializes in growing cells to tissues, which might take months and months... And the consumers will have to absorb the cost...
Of course, you can speed it up by introducing mutations to the cells. But what do you call an animal tissue that comes from faster than usual cell growth and proliferation? Tumor! So you will end up eating a lot tumors! Not a good eat, I suppose... Plus, they can no longer claim that their meat is non-GMO...
Thirdly, environmental issues. they claim the lab meat is environmentally friendlier. As I have mentioned above, if we have to sacrifice so many more animals for them, that means farmers have to raise more livestock to meet their demand. that means even worse methane release. They will actually make thing much worse.
To me, the idea of growing lab meat is as ridiculous as saying "we should use rubber as fuel to stay away from fossil fuel". what they don't tell you is that rubber comes from fossil fuel...
vesicles
Colonel
I have never heard of people doing that.
For one thing, it's not humane. The animals won't be happy when they are constantly drained. Sad cows give you bad tasting milk and bad tasting steaks, I guess...
Also, mammals cannot lose more than 20% of their blood. So if you want to only partially drain a cow, you would have to do it little at a time. I don't think that's economic.
The blood is only a bonus product for the farmer.
Anyway researchers have found that sad cows can be made happy by playing soothing music
vesicles
Colonel
Yeah, but not as happy as those cows not being bled to the edge of death...
In this day and age, people are giving cows beer and massages. Cows are pampered better than people. I don't think they would bleed their babies on purpose...
