PETA will pay one million dollars to the people who create the best in in vitro chicken from stem cells, if they do it before 2012.
The infamous animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has offered one million dollars to the first group creating a saleable, edible chicken meat grown in the laboratory. Would you eat in vitro meat growth from animal stem cells?
I always thought PETA had a zero-tolerance attitude towards meat-eating, but they seem to have conceded that lab-grown flesh could at least replace the cruelty real animals face. Not to mention with rising food prices and less space to raise livestock, lab-made meat offers a convenient solution to broader food issues.
The million dollar offer (valid until 2012) has been widely covered by major news outlets, and so far, reactions have been of shock at such an outrageous and new challenge. But using stem cells (even from animals) is controversial enough on its own and I’m sure there will be omnivores fighting back. Nothing could be less natural than growing animal muscle separate from the animal.
But, in theory, stem cell meat is still meat. PETA has specified that the meat must be “indistinguishable from real chicken flesh” to both omnivores and vegetarians. But would most vegetarians accept lab meat? Will it be possible to ethically harvest stem cells from animals without cruelty?
There are plenty of ways to get a healthy, balanced and good-tasting diet without meat. But for those who really miss chicken wings, could stem cells and a Petri dish be the answer?
I don’t see this idea going over well with the public, but if it’s cheap enough and tastes like the real thing, who knows? I, for one, will be sticking to fakin’ bacon and faux-chicken nuggets.
