Cultured Meat. Will you eat it?

MayBee70

I am trying to eat less meat and have the occasional vegan day (but still have milk in tea I’m afraid) and do believe that we need to rethink what we eat and how the animals we eat are treated ( I actually feel awful writing that as I’m guilty of disassociating the meat I eat from the living creature it once was). But what do we do about feeding our dogs and cats? I know dogs can have a varied diet but cats have to eat meat.

Feeding a cat is a /////////////difficult area for vegans.

I try to rationalise it that cat food is from the side products of the meat industry. The cat is alive and needs to eat.

I suppose cultured meat catfood could be a good idea.

It is all very difficult.

Oh, the /// etc bit is not a euphemism for some word, it is something to do with pressing the wrong keyboard key. I should have previewed it and checked - I usually do.

Our cat prefers raw meat, guess it is closer to the things it would like to kill. He won’t eat cooked fish but give him it raw and he will nearly rip your hand off. Frightful beastie.

timetogo2016

I would rather eat soya tbh.

That can be read in various ways!

Do you mean that you enjoy soya or do you mean that you dislike soya but even though you dislike soya you would rather eat soya that the cultured (you know, but I avoid using the word).

I thought of getting some tofu but upon checking the ingredients it seemed to be basically like soya drink with not so much water in it and without the added vitamins, so I just stuck to the soya drink.

it gets a maybe from me

I probably wouldn't eat it; basically because I wouldn't like it having been vegan for 8 years, and vegetarian for many years before that. BUT I'm very happy indeed that it is being produced as I know many people love the taste of meat, and this way they could have it with no other animal suffering.

I think it could speed up the abandonment of keeping and killing sentient creatures purely for human taste buds, as persuading many omnivores to eat vegan will take a very long time!

I don't see any good reason why I shouldn't eat it.

If it's indistinguishable from conventional 'meat' it solves a problem.

No. I’d rather become fully vegetarian.

As with everything else I eat, the real thing or I do without. No substitutions.

The main reason behind its introduction, I believe isnt to give vegans or vegetarians the chance to eat meat that doesnt harm any animal, although important.

The financial returns wouldn't outway the investment in that case.

As I understand it it is to make a valid attempt to release land that would otherwise be used to grow vegetables (aubergines?) Or rear animals for export in the third world.
Thereby allowing those people to more easily
feed themselves.

With the population of Africa and India increasing, they have to be fed somehow.

The co2 emissions, and the savings to be made (for the planet), from rearing, transporting, packaging, oil etc. are huge.

Not forgetting the benefit to the animals of course.

It sounds like a very interesting development. I don’t eat meat but do crave it sometimes, so I might give this a try, as long as there are no health concerns.

The knee jerk reaction is to say no, but with any new thing it’s important to not over-react until all the facts are known.

We tend to eat more fish than meat anyway.

Yes JenniferEccles I think my first reaction was to think of this meat as a 'Franken food"!

But the more I read about it the more positives I see.
There are no additives, so no hormones to worry about sloshing around our rivers, and infesting our water supply, damaging our sons and gsons fertility.

The ocean is under just as much (if not more) pressure as the land.

Fishing for the most part is unregulated.
No matter what it says on the tin, no one has the power, money or control, to actually check where the fish comes from or how it was caught (line and pole or trawl).

This cultured meat industry is gearing up to include fish as well.

I dont think it will be problem free, but nothing ever is.
Its balancing up the + and - that count.

I would imagine the first introduction would be processed, frozen and fast food.

In terms of resources used, pets are nearly as high as the requirements of a child.
Perhaps this food could be used to feed them healthily, whilst being more sustainable?
I know a few people who feed their dogs a vegetarian diet, but their observations are, that the dogs really want meat every now and again.

We eat real food in this house and that won’t be changing.

Watch Seaspiracy documentary * jennifereccles* and see if you still eat fish

Spot on ElderlyPerson.
Don`t fancy soya milk either tbh.

Oh yes, BlueBelle, DS, a committed vegan, told me I should watch Seaspiracy and I have only eaten fish once since. I didn't enjoy it at all and now will not eat it again. Haven't gone down the whole vegan route, but he's working on me! I don't want to eat something just because it tastes and looks like meat, so no to cultured meat.

Its devastating to watch that doc. Isnt it BlueBelle?

I started supporting the charity with a similar name after watching it.

It's so worrisome to be confronted with the huge problems we are facing.
From recycling to becoming vegan, the reality is these arnt really solutions, they are just pushing the problem elsewhere.

I think, judging by the replies here, the supporters of cultured meat and fish are going to have to do a lot of promoting to get the public to see past the perceived negativity.

I eat no red meat but do eat poultry and fish.

I would not have a problem with cultured meat - it sounds as though it will be an asset to the planet and reduce animal slaughter.

No I’ve been a strict veggie for the past 40 years and like ElderlyPerson I don’t touch vegan food made to look like meat.

Luckygirl

I eat no red meat but do eat poultry and fish.

I would not have a problem with cultured meat - it sounds as though it will be an asset to the planet and reduce animal slaughter.

Thats roughly my point of view Luckygirl

I know it all sounds a bit weird, to grow meat, (which is actual meat not some manufactured imitation) in a lab.
But basically it is more safe (with regards to hygiene or cross contamination BSE or use of hormones etc.) than animal meat.

As you said though, and IMV if it is an asset to the planet and reduces animal slaughter then it should be given due consideration, and not just flung aside with a knee jerk reaction.

I don’t think anyone who watched Seaspiracy will eat fish again to be honest, annodomini namsnanny my daughter and granddaughter stopped as soon as they had seen it they had already stopped eating meat but that pushed them over the comfort zone for sure

I have no problem with eating cultured meat but will it insist that I invest in silver cutlery.

It sounds a great way of increasing the availability of meat without increasing animal farming.

Namsnanny

The main reason behind its introduction, I believe isnt to give vegans or vegetarians the chance to eat meat that doesnt harm any animal, although important.

The financial returns wouldn't outway the investment in that case.

As I understand it it is to make a valid attempt to release land that would otherwise be used to grow vegetables (aubergines?) Or rear animals for export in the third world.
Thereby allowing those people to more easily
feed themselves.

With the population of Africa and India increasing, they have to be fed somehow.

The co2 emissions, and the savings to be made (for the planet), from rearing, transporting, packaging, oil etc. are huge.

Not forgetting the benefit to the animals of course.

I think that much of the land, at least in the Uk, that is used for meat production is not suitable for agricultural use; and of the land that could be suitable, much of it would need massive irrigation and fertilisation so not a total saving. I think the same applies to the USA too and possibly also Australia. I understand there would be emissions savings though and of course the welfare aspect is important. I am not sure why vegans would refuse it as it wouldn't be misusing animals?
I do wonder what will happen about dairy products? It would be great to have a real alternative to those. I have tried plant milks and vegan dairy and I have to say I am not impressed.