Invitro Meats?!?

awip2062 · Post by **awip2062** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 10:36 pm

PETA's $1 million prize for "in vitro" meat

PChicken_2Chicken McNuggets from a test tube? The New York Times reports that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wants to pay $1 million for "fake meat."

For several years, scientists have worked to develop technologies to grow tissue cultures that could be consumed like meat without the expense of land or feed and the disease potential of real meat. An international symposium on the topic was held this month in Norway. The tissue, once grown, could be shaped and given texture with the kinds of additives and structural agents that are now used to give products like soy burgers a more meaty texture.

But the offer has been wildly controversial at PETA offices. Ingrid Newkirk, one of the organization's founders, said the decision to pay for a prize caused "a near civil war in our office." Many PETA members, the New York Times reported, "are repulsed by the thought of eating animal tissue, even if no animals are killed."

An announcement on the PETA website states:

"In vitro meat production would use animal stem cells that would be placed in a medium to grow and reproduce. The result would mimic flesh and could be cooked and eaten. Some promising steps have been made toward this technology, but we're still several years away from having in vitro meat be available to the general public.... "

PETA is offering a $1 million prize to the contest participant able to make the first in vitro chicken meat and sell it to the public by June 30, 2012.

The contestant must do both of the following:

? Produce an in vitro chicken-meat product that has a taste and texture indistinguishable from real chicken flesh to nonmeat-eaters and meat-eaters alike.

? Manufacture the approved product in large enough quantities to be sold commercially, and successfully sell it at a competitive price in at least 10 states.

Judging of taste and texture will be performed by a panel of 10 PETA judges, who will sample the product using a fried "chicken" recipe from VegCooking.com. The in vitro chicken must get a score of at least 80 when evaluated in order to win the prize.

-- Alice Short

ElfDude · Post by **ElfDude** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 6:33 am

Why does PETA even have $1,000,000 that they could give away in prize money? Where did it come from?

Big Blue Owl · Post by **Big Blue Owl** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 6:34 am

I know I sound unreasonable, but I think I'm going to be sick.

ElfDude · Post by **ElfDude** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 6:41 am

Big Blue Owl wrote:I know I sound unreasonable, but I think I'm going to be sick.

It all sounds nasty to me too.

Big Blue Owl · Post by **Big Blue Owl** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 6:47 am

I'm tellin' ya, buddy. Meat is beginning to gross me out. It's a delicate enough prospect to digest chickens, deer, cattle, pigs, etc. without some futuristic freakshow that can only end it the aforementioned Soylent Green.
Tonight I begin working on my ubergarden.

What's a good vegetable substitute for meat?

ElfDude · Post by **ElfDude** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 6:52 am

Big Blue Owl wrote:
What's a good vegetable substitute for meat?

When I first went meatless, about 16 years ago, the cravings were really tough. When they got bad I found that a crisp bean burrito (like the one at Taco Time) usually hit the spot.

Big Blue Owl · Post by **Big Blue Owl** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 7:45 am

Cool. Ya know, those veggie burgers (usually with black beans) are very good as well. I tried once in the past, but failed after a month. It's not easy being cheesy.

I think PETA got their money from selling off all of their Mink Coats when they decided that perhaps animals disliked being skinned and moidered.

Walkinghairball · Post by **Walkinghairball** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 7:47 am

Don't PETA stand for People Eating Tasty Animals????

Big Blue Owl · Post by **Big Blue Owl** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 7:52 am

Ha! It does now

awip2062 · Post by **awip2062** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 10:35 am

I like the soy burgers. there is this one meatless brand here, called BocaBurger that is tasty.

I am finding it easier and easier to eat meatless. I am not a big meat eater, having small portions when I do eat it, and sometimes when I go out to eat I like to get a meatless meal. More places are having the meatless burgers now and I eat them (or fish or chicken) more than I do beef patties. Our concession stand at the local kids' ballpark even sells the soy-based ones now.

ElfDude · Post by **ElfDude** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 10:45 am

awip2062 wrote:I like the soy burgers. there is this one meatless brand here, called BocaBurger that is tasty.

Morning Star makes good stuff too. Between them and the good people at Nalley's, I get to eat chili-dogs again!

Kares4Rush · Post by **Kares4Rush** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 10:55 am

Gettin' hungry again...

Kares4Rush · Post by **Kares4Rush** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 10:56 am

NOT for invitro meat, though.

awip2062 · Post by **awip2062** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 10:56 am

Hey Kares! Come on over and I will fire up the bbq!

Kares4Rush · Post by **Kares4Rush** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 11:02 am

awip2062 wrote:Hey Kares! Come on over and I will fire up the bbq!

Sure thing, t! As long as whatever you're cooking had PARENTS!!!