In a Dutch laboratory, scientists are giving the phrase “mystery meat” a whole new meaning. Using bovine stem cells, researchers are developing the world’s first lab-grown hamburger in an effort to reduce the environmental impacts of traditional farming methods used in the meat industry.
While the notion of eating a burger grown in a laboratory by individuals cloaked in white lab coats may be a bit disconcerting, the project headed by Mark Post, a physiologist at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands, has its appeals. For example, it could preserve natural habitats, reduce energy use and appease members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
The U.N. estimates that animal farming uses almost one-third of the earth’s land mass, and the demand for farm-grown meat is expected to double in the next 40 years. If this lab-made burger is commercialized, which Post predicts could occur in the next decade, this new meat industry could drastically impact environmental conditions for the better.
For those in favor of environmental protection in an increasingly consumer-driven society, these sci-fi inspired patties could be part of the solution to today’s ecological crisis. Unfortunately, such scientific manipulation could actually serve to drive a deeper wedge between humanity and the environment that sustains us.
As Wendell Berry and other agrarian thinkers have suggested, a true appreciation for creation can only be fostered when we recognize the inherent relationship between the land and the products it provides. For example, in today’s society, it is not uncommon for children to grow up having no idea where their food comes from. In fact, some children cannot even identify what the beef on their plates is, let alone where it comes from. This dissociation between our sustenance and the environment that provides it often causes us to lose concern for our fellow creatures and the world in which we live.
This mystery meat only serves to further the problem. While creating meat in a laboratory may save land and energy, it ultimately will not improve our current environmental crisis. Severing the production of meat for food from the land that is supposed to provide it will only worsen the lack of concern for the earth that defines our modern mentality.
Instead, we must learn to appreciate God’s glory in creation, recognizing that in Him all things hold together. He is the light of the world, allowing the sun to shine, which causes the grass to grow, which gives life to the beasts of the field. It is through this mysterious network of life that we are able to live and thrive. Learning to perceive and appreciate this important truth is far more valuable than any laboratory revolution.
Mystery meat cannot save us from a downward ecological spiral, but learning to appreciate the earth and all it provides can at least foster within us life-giving love for the Creator and all that is His.
You made a really good point. I wasn’t sure how I felt about ‘mystery meat’ at the beginning of your article, but it’s true that we shouldn’t try and disconnect ourselves from the environment more by engineering our food.
I see your point in this, and there is some legitimacy to it. However, I would like to see some scientific research into the matter. Your argument rests on the premise that it is bad people do not know where their food comes from.
I’m not convinced.
Furthermore, we should encourage scientific progress as it comes. If we did not, corn would still be an inefficient food that has little nutritional value – certainly it would not be the crop of today which feeds the world.
We should look forward to progress but be careful before jumping all the way in. For example, what will the effect of mystery meat be in the ecological cycle (what nourishes the plants)? These are legitimate points to bring up, but I don’t think we should fear progress like this, nor should we fear market-driven innovation.
Jacob, the difference between the corn example you provided and the mystery meat I discussed is the corn still grows from a seed into a plant, it is still nourished by the soil of the earth and it is still harvested by men and women who understand and appreciate the toil that goes into providing food for the world. This mystery meat, on the other hand, is completely separated from the land that provides it. The miracle of the cycle of life and death, an appreciation for creation and an understanding of the network of life that provides our sustenance is completely cast aside and ignored when our meat is made in a lab. There are better ways to protect the environment, and one way is to learn to appreciate it and the things it provides, rather than attempting to sidestep and override natural laws.