[linen53]

I saw an article in the Eating Well Magazine (July/August 2018) that said they are progressing with growing meats like beef muscle and chicken and even fish in labs. They are hoping to hit store shelves by the end of 2018.

Big meat companies like Tyson, according to the article, are investing in this procedure.

One person in the article said an study was done at Oxford on lab-grown meats and they said it uses up to 96 percent less water and 99 percent less greenhouse gas.

And since there is no fecal contamination there is less likelihood of the meat becoming contaminated with Salmonella and E. coli.

There is no harm to the host cow, chicken or fish. A tiny amount of muscle tissue is taken from the animal.

At Maastricht University, researchers developed this method of growing beef in a lab.

Muscle-specific stem cells are isolated from the tissue sample.

The cells are placed in a liquid that "feeds" them. They multiply by 100 trillion-fold over 7 to 8 weeks and start becoming actual muscle cells.

Groups of 1.5 million cells fuse into a strand. A gel column is added and the fibers form a 1 millimeter ring around it. The muscle cells contract spontaneously, and the ring structure translates that contraction into tension, triggering protein formation.

I'm especially curious to know if Vegans and Vegetarians would consider consuming lab-grown meats. But all are welcome to comment.