most recent 30 from http://paleohacks.com 2013-05-19T11:34:25Z http://paleohacks.com/feeds/question/136559 http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/rdf http://paleohacks.com/questions/136559/would-you-eat-shmeat Thrak 2012-07-19T14:58:02Z 2012-07-20T17:24:10Z

<p>I am sure at least a few of you have heard of in vitro meat (dubbed "vat meat" or "Shmeat"). If not here is a link to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_vitro_meat" rel="nofollow">wikipedia article</a> </p> <p>My question: if the labs were able to grow this meat without artificial hormones and antibiotics etc, and if they were able to show that it is just as healthy or MORE healthy than grass fed would you eat it?</p> <p>Would you even try it?</p> <p>What are your thoughts on the morality of this? Is it in the same area as veganism and the animals will no longer have us to chew on them and in turn we won't care as much about their habitats? </p> <p>Personally I would try it, and as long as the health, taste, and cost were in range I could switch to it. If everything else was in line and the price was considerably lower I probably would in fact.</p> <p>I did search to see if this question was asked and did not find anything. So sorry if it was. </p> <p><img src="http://cache.io9.com/assets/images/8/2009/11/meat_tube_080422_mn.jpg" alt="alt text"></p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/136559/would-you-eat-shmeat/136562#136562 RaiseFitness 2012-07-19T15:03:08Z 2012-07-19T15:03:08Z

<p>I would not. I much prefer my meat to come from a happy animal, as best as possible, and at worst, at least it came from an animal. To me, eating shmeat would be quiet disturbing. </p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/136559/would-you-eat-shmeat/136566#136566 Karen 2012-07-19T15:12:12Z 2012-07-19T15:12:12Z

<p>No. I don't trust "food" that comes from a factory or a mega-corporation. Something necessary will be missing and/or something we seriously don't need to have in our bodies will be added. I have no problem with the ethics of eating meat so long as the animals are raised in humane and healthy conditions appropriate to their species, and slaughtered with care.</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/136559/would-you-eat-shmeat/136578#136578 Chinaeskimo 2012-07-19T15:46:46Z 2012-07-19T15:46:46Z

<p>I think it's fantastic, assuming your caveat that it could be shown to be more healthful than grass fed meat.</p> <p>Think of the lives that could be saved from tainted meat. Mad cow...etc. </p> <p>Also if it could replace factory farmed meat then even better! The environmental pollution from factory farming is enormous, never mind the suffering of the animals. </p> <p>Of course the meat lobby would never let this happen :-/</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/136559/would-you-eat-shmeat/136582#136582 GutenTagLife 2012-07-19T16:15:05Z 2012-07-19T16:15:05Z

<p>Well, my initial thought (or problem with it) would be, even if they show studies that it is more healthy than grass fed meat: Will there be any long-term negative effects? Or how can they be a 100% sure, that there is nothing in there that there are no long-term negative effects. </p> <p>That would be my main reason, why I would be very cautious with it in any way. Though I am also not saying, that I would never try it. As mentioned, it could have a lot of other benefits.</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/136559/would-you-eat-shmeat/136593#136593 Amy B. 2012-07-19T16:56:32Z 2012-07-19T16:56:32Z

<p>We are inching ever closer to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soylent_Green" rel="nofollow">Soylent Green</a>.</p> <p>Scary, my friends. VERY SCARY.</p> <p>I'm moving to Mars and I'm taking all the cows I can fit in my space shuttle!</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/136559/would-you-eat-shmeat/136595#136595 Paleo_BLaZeDRas 2012-07-19T16:59:39Z 2012-07-19T16:59:39Z

<p>I think we assume we know too much about the composition of foods; the compounds that make them healthy.... I am very doubtful that what they are producing is even comparable to natural meat... at this stage...</p> <p>now onto your question specifically.. if they could somehow show that there were no differences between real meat and the artificial stuff then I would consider it... do we really think that they could determine whether its the same... or that they wouldn't tamper with it to make it "healthier" (and in that process making it far worse)...</p> <p>I reckon good farmers treating livestock properly and feeding them properly is going to be much better than any in-vitro substitutes for a very long time.</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/136559/would-you-eat-shmeat/136688#136688 IfYouSaySo 2012-07-19T21:04:28Z 2012-07-19T21:04:28Z

<p>No, it's precisely because we care about animals that we eat meat. If we switched to "shmeat" en masse, there would be no pressure to treat farm animals humanely. In fact, most farm animals would be destroyed like trash once they had lost their economic value. This is the sad reality. If we care about animals and the environment, we need to ensure they both have high economic value so there is an incentive to care for them appropriately.</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/136559/would-you-eat-shmeat/136693#136693 UncleLongHair 2012-07-19T22:03:36Z 2012-07-19T22:03:36Z

<p>If it was actually as nutritious as quality meat i would eat it. But there seems to be a direct relationship between how naturally mest is raised and how good it is for you. Studies have shown thst pastured / free-range / natural meat has many TIMES the nutrients of factory farmed mest. I can only assume that test tube meat would be a further step in the wrong direction.</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/136559/would-you-eat-shmeat/136698#136698 Brian 2012-07-19T22:12:40Z 2012-07-19T22:12:40Z

<p>Its scientist wasting time and resources to find a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. What is this solving? What is wrong with grass-fed family farming? Its like when people go on and on, about finding different ways for pest control in farming, the solution is growing up and not being a baby and eating the leafs that have a little hole eaten in them, its not a real problem.</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/136559/would-you-eat-shmeat/136724#136724 LastingOne 2012-07-19T23:17:54Z 2012-07-19T23:17:54Z

<p>What the shmeat?!</p> <p>I couldn't do it. Nothing beats nature. I also think it's unethical to play with the natural balance of life - like how the saying goes, "playing God," or the like. Wasn't this the initial promise of GMOs? Very scary.</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/136559/would-you-eat-shmeat/136732#136732 primallykosher 2012-07-19T23:36:49Z 2012-07-19T23:36:49Z

<p>I don't like the bastardization of Yiddish either for it. Sounds hipsterish too like tofurkey. Where is Soylent Green? </p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/136559/would-you-eat-shmeat/136828#136828 Jamie 2012-07-20T06:31:36Z 2012-07-20T06:31:36Z

<p>Answer no: I would prefer not to see all farm animals either killed or driven off their land. I think its more ethical to let them live, than replace them with test tubes. </p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/136559/would-you-eat-shmeat/136906#136906 TJ 2012-07-20T15:34:47Z 2012-07-20T15:34:47Z

<p>I would try to avoid it. </p> <p>I imagine this kind of product would be engineered to be 'healthy' and pretty homogeonous in texture - a highly processed 'fake food'. It would probably be low in fat - a uniform mass of muscle tissue. Eating it as your main meat source would give you all the disadvantages of eating only lean muscle meat. I can't see them making fatty cuts or organ meat versions of this stuff.</p> <p>It would also have to be grown on some substrate (made from what? corn? soya?) containing minerals, amino acids and a source of energy for the cells. You'd probably be missing trace minerals and vitamins which come from a real animal ingesting real plant food.</p> <p>I can't see this stuff being a good idea.</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/136559/would-you-eat-shmeat/136925#136925 Kyle_FitFolks 2012-07-20T16:22:13Z 2012-07-20T16:22:13Z

<p>You know what, give it 40+ years, if consumers haven't grown an udder or hooves - I'm in!</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/136559/would-you-eat-shmeat/136939#136939 trjones 2012-07-20T17:24:10Z 2012-07-20T17:24:10Z

<p>If it were just as healthy and tasty as good quality meat then, yes, why wouldn't you eat it?</p> <p>However, I expect the chances of this being the case when the product finally comes to market are nil.</p>