Blog 3

Dear President's Council on Bioethics,

As a response to past indiscretions, the modern American milieu is characterized by equality and inclusion. It is correctly believed that all social groups should be given the same opportunities and moral considerations as every other social group. This attitude, however, has extended beyond the realm of human interaction; it touches the treatment of non-human animals as well. It is no surprise that veganism acquired popularity at the same time postmodernism became fashionable. Omnivory is a strikingly controversial topic with comparable weight to religion and social class. Many believe that eating meat is profoundly unethical while others find it difficult to maintain good health or satisfaction without the food group. A solution is required so people of all ideologies can have their meat and eat it too. One solution comes from the advent of lab grown meat.

With modern technology, it is possible to develop fully artificial meat. This meat has the same exact molecular composition and atomic structure as organic meat. The best methods can create a steak that is completely indistinguishable from a steak that came from a cow. It has white and red marbling, it browns when put on a grill, it has the scent of a cooking steak, and butter, salt, and pepper can be added to enhance the flavor. The meat does all of this even with its origin being nowhere near a farm. The technology involved in artificial meat goes further than the mere creation of the meat itself.

Beef isn't the only item that can be cultured in a lab; Chicken, lamb, pork, cod, lobster, and alligator could all be made as well. Not only that, but the exact distribution and concentration of macro nutrients can be controlled. The amount of fat in a hamburger patty could be precisely modulated down to the micro gram. The amount of iron, phosphorus, calcium, and vitamins can also be modulated. This would encourage healthy eating because consumers can choose what meat would best fit their dietary needs.

Most vegans are such because eating meat incurs unneeded pain on innocent animals. Farming and slaughter without a doubt imposes an immense amount of emotional and physical harm on animals that would otherwise live lives unaffected by human appetite. Eating artificial meat is the best way to circumvent the moral scruple of eating organic animals. The biggest problem facing artificial meat companies, though, is that most people simply find lab meat creepy.

The current social atmosphere would be skeptical or even disgusted by artificial meat. Exposure is the only reliable way to solve this problem. Lab grown meat needs to find its way to store shelves as quickly as possible. There is a multitude of companies already developing lab meat. Memphis Meats and Mosa Meat are the most prominent.

It would be worthwhile for the PCBE to fund these companies so they can hasten their research and development and get their meats to the market sooner rather than later.

Best Regards,

Reid George Hallam