Kill-Free Meat Could Change the Way We Eat

Meat eaters uncomfortable with the sometimes inhumane ways animals are slaughtered for food very soon may have a new alternative for the dinner table.

Researchers from the University of Minnesota have developed a new process to produce kill- and contamination-free meat products from harvested animal cells in a roughly 21-day period, according to a group of scientists.

The team, led by Dr. Uma Valeti, harvested animal cells that were able to renew themselves. They then provided the cells with oxygen and nutrients, cultivating them into an edible product. According to Valeti, there are numerous benefits to the product beyond just saving the lives of animals. These included lower amounts of saturated fat, lack of bacterial contamination, and the product avoids the negative environmental effects of factory farming.

Speaking about the prospective uses of the meat, Valeti told Huffington Post, “The meat that we are growing is identical at the molecular and cellular level. Cultured meat will completely replace the status quo and make raising animals to eat them simply unthinkable.”

In addition to the research, Valeti is also leading the charge to monetize the kill-free meat as the the CEO of Memphis Meats. The company aims to have beef, pork, and chicken products in restaurants in less than three years. Beyond that, they’re aiming to have products commercially available in grocery stores and supermarkets by 2021.

In the same interview, Valeti explained where his passion for the project came from.

“I grew up in a meat eating family. From the very young age, I always thought, why do we eat meat the way we do.”