Lab-grown meat ready within a year

The first steps to lab-grown meat have been taken at Maastrich University in the Netherlands. Researchers used stem cells to grow a small piece of muscle tissue. They hope to have created the world’s first lab-grown burger by the end of 2012.

Traditional farming methods are very inefficient and many scientists think it is not sustainable, considering the growing population on the planet. Some research estimates that food production will need to double within 50 years to meet the growing demand from people. This could be further complicated by water shortages and global warming.

Creating artificial meat could help reduce the shortage of suitable farming land, whilst satisfying animal welfare charities. Professor Mark Post, who was involved in the research, believes his research team could reduce the carbon environmental footprint of meat by as much as 60 percent by growing it in a lab.

If the idea of lab-grown meat doesn’t sound enticing, it’s appearance won’t help. The pieces of muscle developed are currently white. They will be combined with blood and lab-grown fat before being combined into the burgers they wish us to sample, though. Prof. Post even hopes to convince celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal to demonstrate cooking the burger.