Eating Meat Without Eating Animals

Though their justification is environmental rather than animal, researchers at Utrecht University in the Netherlands are trying to grow meat in a lab, raising the possibility of a carnivorous diet disconnected from killing.

Asked whether people would be repulsed by lab-grown meat, Roelen said he believed there would be enough demand, as much of what people eat today is already extensively processed, from the feed that animals consume to the conditions under which they are raised and the preparation of meat after slaughter.

"I can imagine that some people will have problems with it," he said.
"People might think it is artificial. But some people might not realize that some part of the meat they eat is artificial."

It won't happen anytime soon -- so far they've "managed to grow only thin layers of cells that bear no resemblance to pork chops." But a question for all you vegans and vegetarians out there: how, if at all, might an offering of this sort change the way you eat?
Dutch try to grow enviro-friendly meat in lab [Reuters]

Image: Boomette*