Bill Gates and Richard Branson Back Startup That Grows 'Clean Meat' (bloomberg.com)

A large global agricultural company has joined Bill Gates and Richard Branson to invest in a nascent technology to make meat from self-producing animal cells. "Memphis Meats, which produces beef, chicken and duck directly from animal cells without raising and slaughtering livestock or poultry, raised $17 million from investors including Cargill, Gates and billionaire Richard Branson, according to a statement Tuesday on the San Francisco-based startup's website," reports Bloomberg. From the report: This is the latest move by an agricultural giant to respond to consumers, especially Millennials, who are rapidly leaving their mark on the U.S. food world. That's happening through surging demand for organic products, increasing focus on food that's considered sustainable and greater attention on animal treatment. Big poultry and livestock processors have started to take up alternatives to traditional meat. To date, Memphis Meats has raised $22 million, signaling a commitment to the "clean-meat movement," the company said.

Comments

"clean" "meat"

[KiloByte]

Can we please have some labelling laws so this thing can't be legally called "meat"?

There's enough problems with processed food already. Here we have a processed thing that did not even start from being food.

Re:"clean" "meat"

[alvinrod]

I would imagine that they'll label it in some way just because I can't imagine vegetarians or vegans objecting to eating it. Otherwise if it's molecularly the same, who cares if it came from a factory where it was grown artificially or if some critter carried it around before having it shorn off. As long as it still tastes good (some meat isn't just the muscle, but also the intramuscular fat) I'll eat it. If it eventually means I can get a great cut of steak for $2 at the market because this is cheaper than feeding an actual cow, I think it would go a long way towards being able to supply more of the world with protein.

Re:"clean" "meat"

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm vegan and still wouldn't eat this, and I don't know any others that would either.

I'm sorry. Not sorry that you won't eat this, just sorry that you're vegan.

I've met lots of vegans. I've never personally seen a vegan man with decent muscle mass. I've never personally seen a vegan woman with pleasing curves and supple breasts. I don't imagine I will either. You require artificial supplements just to stay something resembling healthy.

We're omnivores, from our dentition to our digestive tract to our prehistoric diet and everything. Back in the day, meat was a smaller fraction of our diet of mostly fruits and vegetables, but it was a regular part of it all the same. The best way is to have meat be a regular 10-20% of your diet, let red meat be a very rare treat, and let the rest be fruits and veggies while going light on the grains.

Ovo-lacto vegetarians come close to this, if they also allow fish. Except I would avoid dairy whenever practical. You're not a suckling calf and don't need all the hormones and bGH and shit that often comes with milk. Neither do you need fat droplets that have been homogenized and rendered a micro-size that your body doesn't really know how to process.

Re:"clean" "meat"

[Opportunist]

This has a lot of a religious sermon: Lots of postulation, little in terms of evidence. Or at least any kind of hint resembling something akin to a shred of an inkling that any of this is based in reality and that we should believe any of it on anything other than "I told you so".

You can grow this stuff in a controlled environment. No antibiotics needed because when there are no bacteria there is no need to use something to kill them.

To the rest of the drivel, well, "chemistry baaaad" sums it up pretty nicely. Why do I have the feeling I'm dealing with a homeopathetic anti-vaxer?