It looks like chicken and tastes like chicken, but diners in Israel are tucking into laboratory-grown “meat” that scientists claim is an environmentally friendly way to feed the world’s growing population.
In a small restaurant in a nondescript building in a science park in the central Israeli town of Ness Ziona, diners munched burgers and minced meat rice rolls made with “cultured chicken” — meat grown in the adjacent SuperMeat production site.
“It was delicious, the flavor was great,” said Gilly Kanfi, a self-described “meat eater” from Tel Aviv, who had signed up for the meal months in advance.
Photo: AFP
“If I didn’t know, I would have thought it was a regular chicken burger.”
The Chicken, as the eatery is called, is a testing ground of sorts for SuperMeat, hosting periodical test meals to generate customer feedback while waiting for regulatory approval.
RAPID GROWTH
The restaurant’s dark and elegant interior is framed by large windows looking onto a bright-lit laboratory, where technicians monitor large stainless-steel fermentation vats.
“This is the first time in the world people can actually have a taste of a cultivated meat product, while observing the production and the manufacturing process in front of their eyes,” said Ido Savir, SuperMeat’s chief executive.
Here, at least, the laboratory has made redundant the age-old question of whether the chicken or the egg came first.
The process involves cultivating cells taken from a fertilized chicken egg.
Cell cultures are fed a plant-based liquid including proteins, fats, sugars, minerals and vitamins.
With all the feed going directly into production, it grows rapidly, with the mass doubling within a matter of hours, the company says.
Savir, a vegan with a background in computer science, sees himself as being at the “forefront of a food revolution” trying to help supply food while limiting the impact on the planet.
Developers said they are working to provide more ethical and sustainable ways to create cruelty and slaughter-free meat, with the product grown without using genetic engineering or antibiotics.
The company is currently able to produce “hundreds of kilograms” each week, Savir said.
‘GAME CHANGER’
But he hopes to earn regulatory approval from the US Food and Drug Administration, and would then increase production to a “commercial” scale.
“This way we’ll be able to reduce the amount of land, water use and so many other resources, and keep the product very healthy and clean,” he said, noting the high prevalence of diseases among chickens produced in factory-style production.
Global meat production is projected to rise 15 percent by 2027, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
SuperMeat is not the first to develop the technology. In December, a Singapore restaurant made history when it became the first to sell lab-grown chicken meat.
The Israeli firm has developed a versatile product, blending muscle, fat and connective tissue cells to create different cuts — even including pet food.
Zhuzha, a white bull terrier attending the meal along with its owner, enthusiastically devoured the SuperMeat dog food it was handed.
“Pets love our meat as well,” Savir said with a smile.
The human diners said the product was as good as the real thing.
“It really surprised me,” said Lisa Silver, a regular meat-eater. “If I can get that in a restaurant, I will go vegan, totally. It’s a game-changer.”
For her sister Annabelle, it was the first time in years she had eaten meat.
“One of the reasons that I became vegetarian originally was because it’s not ethical, it’s not sustainable,” she said.
“To get meat minus the cruelty is just amazing, it’s perfect, I could eat this every single day.”
VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY?
But the question whether the product should be considered meat is one faced not only by vegetarians — but also Jewish rabbinic authorities.
Producing meat in a cruelty-free way that does not harm the environment is a positive development that will “save the world problems,” said Rabbi Eliezer Simcha Weisz, a member of Israel’s Chief Rabbinate Council.
While rabbis would have to learn the novel process and supervise it, Weisz said he expected the product would eventually receive a kosher designation.
Tal Gilboa, a prominent veganism activist who served as an adviser to former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said Israel was leading the way on cultured meat technology.
Gilboa would like the world to turn to a plant-based diet, and sees cultivated meats as a pragmatic way for people to take the first steps to vegetarianism.
“The world population is increasing at a break-neck speed,” she said, adding that the only way to keep up will be “through technology.”
Savir believes the technology could change humanity for the better.
“Like we saw with the revolution of the smart phone, once this is available, we’ll start producing so much meat,” he said.
“It would increase food security for nations around the world, a very sustainable, animal-friendly and efficient process.”
That US assistance was a model for Taiwan’s spectacular development success was early recognized by policymakers and analysts. In a report to the US Congress for the fiscal year 1962, former President John F. Kennedy noted Taiwan’s “rapid economic growth,” was “producing a substantial net gain in living.” Kennedy had a stake in Taiwan’s achievements and the US’ official development assistance (ODA) in general: In September 1961, his entreaty to make the 1960s a “decade of development,” and an accompanying proposal for dedicated legislation to this end, had been formalized by congressional passage of the Foreign Assistance Act. Two
President William Lai’s (賴清德) March 13 national security speech marked a turning point. He signaled that the government was finally getting serious about a whole-of-society approach to defending the nation. The presidential office summarized his speech succinctly: “President Lai introduced 17 major strategies to respond to five major national security and united front threats Taiwan now faces: China’s threat to national sovereignty, its threats from infiltration and espionage activities targeting Taiwan’s military, its threats aimed at obscuring the national identity of the people of Taiwan, its threats from united front infiltration into Taiwanese society through cross-strait exchanges, and its threats from
Despite the intense sunshine, we were hardly breaking a sweat as we cruised along the flat, dedicated bike lane, well protected from the heat by a canopy of trees. The electric assist on the bikes likely made a difference, too. Far removed from the bustle and noise of the Taichung traffic, we admired the serene rural scenery, making our way over rivers, alongside rice paddies and through pear orchards. Our route for the day covered two bike paths that connect in Fengyuan District (豐原) and are best done together. The Hou-Feng Bike Path (后豐鐵馬道) runs southward from Houli District (后里) while the
March 31 to April 6 On May 13, 1950, National Taiwan University Hospital otolaryngologist Su You-peng (蘇友鵬) was summoned to the director’s office. He thought someone had complained about him practicing the violin at night, but when he entered the room, he knew something was terribly wrong. He saw several burly men who appeared to be government secret agents, and three other resident doctors: internist Hsu Chiang (許強), dermatologist Hu Pao-chen (胡寶珍) and ophthalmologist Hu Hsin-lin (胡鑫麟). They were handcuffed, herded onto two jeeps and taken to the Secrecy Bureau (保密局) for questioning. Su was still in his doctor’s robes at
RSS