Sure, you’ve heard all about clean eating but what about clean meat? Here’s what you need to know about this bonkers advancement in food technology that just might change the world. (Or at least your dinner.)
What exactly is clean meat? Also known as cultured meat or lab-grown meat, it’s meat that is grown from animal cells rather than from animal slaughter. (So, basically the plot of a science-fiction movie.)
And how does it work? Scientists take a teeny-tiny biopsy from an animal. That biopsy contains millions of cells, which, when placed inside a cultivator (and with the help of some more science), grow into muscle. The process is basically about tricking the cells into thinking that they’re still inside their owner. The result? Real meat, without the animal.
What are some of the benefits of clean meat? Firstly, it’s more ethical since no animals would need to be harmed in the process. But another potentially huge advantage of clean meat is that it takes far fewer resources to produce than conventional meat (think: less land, water and oil, plus fewer greenhouse gas emissions). Uma Valeti, cofounder and CEO of clean meat start-up Memphis Meats, told The Wall Street Journal that their products require just one-tenth of the water and one-hundredth of the land that are required to raise conventional animals. Wowza.