Exposing the Big Game

Forget Hunters' Feeble Rationalizations and Trust Your Gut Feelings: Making Sport of Killing Is Not Healthy Human Behavior

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Category Archives: Vegan

Top British barrister says eating meat could become illegal

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‘It is time for a new law on ecocide to go alongside genocide and the other crimes against humanity,’ says Michael Mansfield QC

Michael Mansfield QC (pictured) believes the government should introduce tighter legislation to make activities which destroy the natural world illegal

Michael Mansfield QC (pictured) believes the government should introduce tighter legislation to make activities which destroy the natural world illegal ( Getty )

Eating meat could become illegal due to the ecological damage it does to the planet, a top British barrister has said.

Michael Mansfield QC believes the government should introduce tighter legislation to make activities which destroy the natural world illegal – and in the future this could even include banning the consumption of meat.

“There are plenty of things that were once commonplace that are now illegal such as smoking inside,” said Mr Mansfield, who will present his ideas at the Labour party conference on Monday.

“We know that the top 3,000 companies in the world are responsible for more than £1.5tn worth of damage to the environment with meat and dairy production high on the list. We know that because the UN has told us so.

“I think when we look at the damage eating meat is doing to the planet it is not preposterous to think that one day it will become illegal,” he said.

Currently 25 per cent of global emissions come from agriculture, with livestock contributing to 80 per cent of that.

Industrial agriculture relies on fossil fuels to create fertilisers and machinery to harvest crops and transport animals. Farmed animals also produce half of the world’s methane emissions. Research last year found that meat and dairy companies could overtake the oil industry as the world’s biggest polluters by 2050.

“It is time for a new law on ecocide to go alongside genocide and the other crimes against humanity,” said Mr Mansfield.

The top QC will be making a speech at the launch of the Vegan Now campaign at the Labour party conference where he will be sitting on a panel of experts debating the damaging effects of livestock farming on biodiversity and climate change.

Juliet Gellatley, director of animal rights group Viva!, who will also be on the panel, said: “Thirty years ago people didn’t bat an eyelid if you lit a cigarette in a pub or restaurant. But now society accepts smoking is harmful and totally unnecessary and so we legislated against it. The same could happen with eating meat.”

Experts behind the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) found red meat had high greenhouse gas footprint because of the emissions livestock give out as well as the impact of land being cleared to grow crops for animal feed.

The report says we should be eating balanced diets with plant-based foods such as grains, vegetables and pulses, and animal-based food produced in sustainable systems.

‘Enough Is Enough’ Pro-Vegan Puzzle Is on Its Way to Bill Gates

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Amid Efforts to Curb and Cure COVID-19, PETA Gift Aims to Help Philanthropic Puzzle Enthusiast Piece Together How Vital It Is to End Meat Consumption

For Immediate Release:
April 6, 2020

Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382

Seattle – Bill Gates is helping to lead the fight against COVID-19, so PETA is sending the known puzzle aficionado a special gift: a customized jigsaw puzzle that spells out the link between deadly pandemics and killing animals for food—as well as a note urging him to address the source of the plague and encourage everyone to go vegan.

“Preventing the next pandemic means shutting down filthy live-animal markets, slaughterhouses, and factory farms, where pathogens that cross the species barrier thrive,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “Social distancing is good, but PETA is urging Bill Gates to help combat this threat at the source by advocating for a vegan world.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat” and which opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview—notes that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 75% of recent infectious diseases affecting humans began in animals.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

PETA’s letter to Gates follows.

April 6, 2020

Bill Gates

Co-Chair and Trustee

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Dear Mr. Gates,

I’m writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), including our more than 6.5 million members and supporters worldwide, in response to your call for a nationwide shutdown to help stop the spread of COVID-19 as well as to news reports that you are funding a vaccine. We applaud your efforts to help combat this global pandemic. Also, knowing that you enjoy puzzles, we’ll be sending you one with an important reminder: From swine flu and Ebola to bird flu and coronaviruses, the public health risks associated with the consumption of animals are growing.

While social distancing, sheltering in place, and racing to find a vaccine are all important factors in containing COVID-19, it is urgent to address the source of the problem. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 75% of recently emerged infectious diseases in humans began in animals. SARS, which originated in bats, claimed 774 lives. Swine flu, or H1N1—which originated in pigs—killed as many as 575,400 people. And the COVID-19 death toll has already surpassed 70,000.

Zoonotic diseases aren’t limited to a single country or to wet markets—wherever animals are bred, intensively confined in their own filth, and slaughtered, humans risk creating another pandemic. In a paper published in 2018, Belgian spatial epidemiologist Marius Gilbert found that more “conversion events” for bird flu—in which a not very pathogenic strain of the virus becomes more dangerous—had occurred in the U.S., Europe, and Australia than in China, where it originated.

Now, while the world is battling the current pandemic—which originated in a wet market—it’s clear that what our puzzle points out is true: Enough is enough.

As the world faces unprecedented losses of many kinds because of COVID-19, how to make our planet a kinder, greener, healthier place is a puzzle that’s easily solved. We hope you will focus on the big picture: The fetish for flesh is killing us, and a vegan world must become the new normal. We encourage you to call for this change. Thank you for your consideration.

Very truly yours,

Ingrid E. Newkirk

President

Lauren Lockey: A vegan diet would protect us from many diseases

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Lauren Lockey: A vegan diet would protect us from many diseases
(Mark Schiefelbein | AP file photo) An employee wears a face mask as she waits for customers at a meat stall at a market in Beijing, Saturday, March 14, 2020.
 · Published: 21 hours ago
Updated: 21 hours ago

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”

— Mahatma Gandhi

In order to fix any problem and prevent it from happening again, we must first look at the cause. Our current pandemic did not just appear out of nowhere.

Like other zoonotic viruses — such as H1N1/Swine Flu (2009), H7N9/Bird Flu (2013), Ebola (2016), Cowpox and even Mad Cow disease, which is considered a “prion” — Covid-19 originated in a meat market. In this particular case, it is strongly suggested they were pangolins kept in horrid caged conditions to be sold as dinner in Asian markets. Conditions no different from how cows, pigs, turkeys, sheep, goats and chickens are exploited for food here in the U.S.

Although it’s easy to point our finger at China, at the end of the day we can take this opportunity to look in the mirror, look at our plates and realize we are all connected no matter what gender, sexual orientation, political party, nation or species. Let’s take responsibility for humanity’s disregard and exploitation of wild and domestic animals we share this planet with.

I like to think of it as Mother Earth sending us to our rooms to think about what we have done while giving us the opportunity and hope to change our behavior and actions. Not just as a country, as an entire world. She may even shake us up a little with an earthquake, fire, flood or hurricane.

As we are realizing, pandemics are world wide. Country and state lines don’t matter. What happens in one country deeply impacts ALL of us.

The repercussions of our desire to eat animals are being reflected through ill health, climate change and deadly pandemics. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that three out of four new or emerging diseases in people come from animals.

Right now we are faced with two choices: Continue with a band-aid solution until another virus shows up or heal the wound from the inside through a healthy sustainable vegan lifestyle.

I have hope for all of us and our capacity to create a better world and right now is our chance! Even in the last few weeks, air and water pollution has dropped significantly in India, China, Italy and cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco. Will this spark even more change in infrastructure and energy?

Coyotes are emerging in places such as San Francisco and here in Park City. Nature wants to balance out again. In some grocery stores we are now asked to use recycled boxes for groceries instead of paper or plastic bags. As humans, we have the capacity to create a much more compassionate and sustainable world for all just through behavior change.

Perhaps that is the opportunity in all of this. We are all in this together where I becomes us and me becomes we. Stay hopeful, healthy and let us listen and rise to the occasion.

“Human beings, while capable of the worst, are also capable of rising above themselves, choosing again what is good, and making a new start, despite their mental and social conditioning.”

— Pope Francis

Lauren Lockey is the co founder of Sage Mountain which is a non profit and sanctuary for rescued farm animals.
Lauren Lockey is the co founder of Sage Mountain which is a non profit and sanctuary for rescued farm animals.

Lauren Lockey is the co founder of Sage Mountain, Park City, a nonprofit sanctuary for rescued farm animals.

MIYOKO’S FOOD TRUCK TO GIVE AWAY 15,000 VEGAN GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICHES IN CROSS-COUNTRY TOUR

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VegNews.MiyokosCheeseTruck

The vegan cheese brand will promote its vegan grilled cheese sandwiches—made with Miyoko’s new allergen-friendly vegan cheese and butter—in 17 major cities across the country.

by NICOLE AXWORTHY

FEBRUARY 7, 2020

https://vegnews.com/2020/2/miyoko-s-food-truck-to-give-away-15-000-vegan-grilled-cheese-sandwiches-in-cross-country-tour?utm_source=fan+actions&utm_medium=email&utm_term=fast+action+network&emci=b9073641-fd49-ea11-a1cc-00155d03b1e8&emdi=18d32722-014a-ea11-a1cc-00155d03b1e8&ceid=7056009

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On March 4, vegan cheese company Miyoko’s Creamery will begin a food truck tour across the United States to promote the brand’s new nut-free vegan cheddar and pepper-jack cheeses (created from oats, potatoes, and legumes) and cultured vegan oat-based butter. Miyoko’s food truck will give away approximately 15,000 free grilled cheese sandwiches made with the new products. The tour will begin at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, CA and make 17 tentative city stops, including in Los Angeles, CA; Oakland, CA; San Francisco, CA; Portland, OR; Seattle, WA; Biose, ID; Denver, CO; Austin, TX; New Orleans, LA; Atlanta, GA; Washington DC;  Philadelphia, PA; New York, NY; Boston, MA; Cincinnati, OH; Chicago, IL; and Minneapolis, MN. “We believe our new cheddar and pepper jack are game-changing and will do for cheese what Beyond and Impossible did for burgers by expanding the audience for vegan cheese to omnivores and flexitarians,” Miyoko Schinner, CEO of Miyoko’s Creamery, told VegNews. “What better way to prove that than by allowing people to taste the product first-hand—our Grilled Cheese Nation food truck tour is a fun way to get that done while building excitement and anticipation for our April product launch.” In December, Miyoko’s shocked hundreds of unsuspecting cheese lovers at a grilled-cheese sandwich pop-up in San Francisco, where the brand served free sandwiches made with its vegan cheese and butter without telling customers they were vegan. In June, the brand is set to launch the cultured vegan oat-based butter in sea salt and garlic parm flavors and allergen-friendly cheeses in blocks, shreds, and slices.

Burger King’s new plant-based Whopper isn’t suitable for vegetarians or vegans

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Lucy Handley@LUCYHANDLEY
Burger King’s Rebel Whopper, which launched in the U.K. January 6, 2020
Burger King UK

Burger King has launched its plant-based Rebel Whopper in the U.K. — but vegetarians and vegans will probably turn their noses up at it.

The new Whopper, made available Monday to those who download the Burger King app, is “100% plant-based” but will be cooked on the same grill as Burger King’s regular beef Whopper burgers.

A disclaimer on Burger King’s U.K. website states: “The Rebel Whopper is plant-based; however, it is cooked on the same broiler as our original Whopper to deliver the same unique flame-grilled taste. Due to shared cooking equipment it may not be suitable for vegetarians.”

The Rebel Whopper is aimed at “flexitarians,” according to an emailed release from Burger King, and is made by Unilever-owned company The Vegetarian Butcher. It is the latest push by the fast-food chain, owned by Restaurant Brands International, to capitalize on the plant-based food trend — it announced in November that the Rebel Whopper would be made available in 2,400 locations in 20 European countries.

In the U.S., Burger King’s meat alternative Impossible Whopper grew restaurant visits, according to early research by Barclays in October. But it has attracted attention for not being vegan-friendly, because it too is cooked on grills where meat is also handled — a November lawsuit from a vegan customer accused Burger King of contaminating its meatless burgers.

Whether plant-based food has been cooked on the same grill as a meat burger makes “no difference” to those trying to cut down on their meat consumption, according to Toni Vernelli, head of international communications and marketing at Veganuary, who was quoted in a press release issued by Burger King U.K. on Monday.

“What does make a big difference to animals and the planet is when non-vegans choose a plant-based menu option, enjoy it and then order it again,” Vernelli added.

Burger King’s Veggie Bean Burger and Kids Veggie Burger are cooked separately, the company confirmed.

The Rebel Whopper patty itself is vegan, with its main ingredients being soy, wheat, vegetable oil, herbs and onion, according to a Burger King spokesperson, and it will be served in a bun with mayonnaise. But it is cooked on a grill that handles meat so it tastes like a regular Whopper, according to the company’s U.K. Marketing Director Katie Evans. “We wanted our first plant-based Whopper to replicate the indulgence and flame-grilled taste of the real thing as closely as possible,” she said in a press release.

Considering a plant-based diet? Here’s what you need to know

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Before you jump into a new diet — or any lifestyle change — it's critical to be informed. Thinking about going plant-based? Here's what you need to know.
Before you jump into a new diet — or any lifestyle change — it’s critical to be informed. Thinking about going plant-based? Here’s what you need to know. (BestReviews)

Whether you’re concerned about the state of the environment or are focused on your own health concerns, there are more than a few reasons to consider a plant-based diet.

Despite common misconceptions, you don’t have to survive on raw celery and plain nuts to do it, either.

In fact, transitioning to a vegan lifestyle, can actually be incredibly delicious in addition to being great for the environment. Plus, a plant-based diet can save you some serious cash if you do it right.

So, if you’re thinking of making the switch, here is everything you need for a seamless transition into veganism.

Do your research

With any major dietary change, it’s important to know just what you’re getting into. There are a wealth of resources available to help you learn more about both the environmental and health aspects of veganism.

Eating Animals by Jonathan Foer: This popular book provides a truly eye-opening look at the food and farming industries that can put your meat-free lifestyle into perspective. It’s a poignant moral examination of our food and lifestyle choices.

Plant-Based on a Budget by Toni Okamoto: It’s also a good idea to invest in some solid vegan recipe books so that you don’t get stuck eating the same boring thing every day. We love the budget-friendly, easy-to-prepare meal ideas in this particular cookbook.

Start small

Whether you decide to go vegan for the environment, animal welfare, or simply want a clean healthy diet, the temptation to dive in immediately in can be overwhelming. To have long-term success with a plant-based lifestyle, it’s important to transition slowly. You can and should still finish any non-vegan groceries in your house, then swap them out for plant-based alternatives when you replace them.

Nature’s Bakery Whole Wheat Fig Bars: You should focus on replacing the small stuff first. Swapping out traditional granola bars that likely contain milk or honey for a vegan snack bar is an easy and attainable goal to start with, and these are a delicious fruity breakfast option on the go.

Clif Bar Best Sellers Variety Pack: If you prefer something denser and with a little peanut butter or chocolate, then this is an excellent protein-dense choice great for after workouts or as an afternoon snack.

Season everything

Many of us think that it would be nearly impossible to sacrifice the flavors of our favorite meaty dishes, but the truth is, you don’t have to. You might be surprised to learn just how easy it is to replace many of your favorite meat-based meals with veggie options if you have the right seasoning.

Takii Umami Powder Magic Shitake Mushroom Seasoning: To give your plant-based burgers an extra meaty boost, try mixing in a rich umami mushroom powder. It has a rich, almost meaty taste that adds depth and flavor to any dish.

Edward & Sons Not-Chick’n Cubes: For chicken-style meals, you can find a number of imitation poultry bullion cubes that you’d never know were vegan. These are super easy to use and they’re gluten-free as well.

Old Bay Seasoning: Did you know mushrooms, either from the supermarket or locally foraged, can easily replace decadent seafood like scallops? Just sprinkle some Old Bay on them and you’re good to go.

Kamenstein 16-Jar Revolving Countertop Spice Rack: Of course, seasoning goes well beyond meat substitutes. In order to elevate every dish you make, you’re going to need a variety of spices on hand. This rack comes with pre-filled jars and is an easy way to get all of the basic spices you’ll need to get started.

McCormick Organic Spice Gift Set: If you don’t have the counter space for a traditional spinning spice rack, then this wall-mountable option is an excellent alternative that includes even more spices and herbs.

Have the right tools

There are a few essential kitchen appliances and accessories that will make transitioning to a plant-focused diet easy, and dare we say, fun.

Prep Naturals Glass Meal Prep Containers: One common complaint about vegan cooking is that it’s time-consuming. If you don’t have a lot of spare time to set aside for cooking during the week, then doing a large meal prep day on the weekend will save some serious time. These containers make storing your meals for the week simple. Vitamix E310 Explorian Blender: Next up, you’ll need a good blender. From banana ice cream to nut-based cheese sauce and every breakfast smoothie and creamy sauce in between, you can never go wrong with a Vitamix.

Hamilton Beach 10-Cup Food Processor & Vegetable Chopper: You’re going to be chopping a lot of raw veggies and a food processor will save you time and effort. Something like this is perfect for making large batches of hummus, pesto, and nut butter as well.

Hamilton Beach Mini 3-Cup Food Processor: If you’re chopping veggies for one, then this smaller version will do the trick for a fraction of the cost.

It’s all about balance

The general assumption is that veganism is healthy, and it certainly can be. However, just because certain foods are vegan doesn’t mean they’re inherently healthy. You can’t live off of a diet of french fries with a side of Oreos, for example.

So be sure that you’re still getting all of the protein and vitamins that are essential to a healthy diet. Black beans, lentils, spinach, quinoa, and bok choy are just a few of many protein-dense vegetables that should be incorporated in your meals.

Orgain Organic Plant-Based Protein Powder: If you’re worried about getting enough protein, then adding some vegan protein powder to baked goods, smoothies, and more is an easy way to get your daily requirements.

Anthony’s Premium Nutritional Yeast Flakes: B12 is also essential to a healthy well-balanced diet. Since this nutrient is naturally found in animal products, vegans will have to look for alternatives. Nutritional yeast is full of B12 and has a mouth-watering nutty, cheesy flavor. It can be sprinkled on top of popcorn or pasta or used in any number of cheesy recipes for a B12 boost.

Nature Made Vitamin B12: Nutritional yeast alone may not be enough, but luckily there are a number of supplements available that will ensure you’re getting enough of this helpful nutrient.

Amber Van Wort is a writer for BestReviews. BestReviews is a product review company with a singular mission: to help simplify your purchasing decisions and save you time and money. BestReviews never accepts free products from manufacturers and purchases every product it reviews with its own funds.

BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. BestReviews and its newspaper partners may earn a commission if you purchase a product through one of our links.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Hunter’s ‘vegan edit’ includes nearly 300 certified vegan products

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Melissa Breyer MelissaBreyer

December 13, 2019
hunter vegan edit
© Hunter

Along with the iconic Hunter rainboot, the company has a huge collection of items that use no animal materials or animal by-products during the manufacturing process.

Upon first consideration, anyone who avoids animals products might not worry that their Wellington boots were not vegan. But that’s the thing about avoiding animal products – they show up in very surprising places. If plastic bags and bicycle tires may not be vegan, why not rubber boots?

Which is why I love this great initiative by Hunter, the maker of iconic rubber boots. They have created a “vegan edit” in which they’ve singled out all of their vegan products in a special section, to the delight of rubber-boot wearing vegans everywhere. Vegan items also display a vegan symbol (below) in online descriptions and on product tags to make it clear.

vegan symbol© Hunter

“Increasingly, we are being asked which products within the Hunter collection are vegan,” notes the company. “Because of our commitment to using natural rubber, many of our iconic and best-selling rain boots are, in fact, already vegan.”

At this point, they have a whopping 278 products certified as 100 percent vegan, meaning they were all made without using any animal materials or animal by-products during the manufacturing process. The vegan edit has been PETA approved. and includes the classic Original Tall boot, as well as best-selling styles like the Original Short, Original Chelsea, Play and Refined boots.

The company has come a long way from being just makers of wellies – they have all kinds of other apparel and accessories, including many things to keep warm; many of which are traditionally made with things like wool and down. So it’s nice to see plenty of cozy vegan items in the edit as well.

Meanwhile, if you are wondering about all that rubber that goes into the making of all those rubber boots – we are right there with you. The company says they are committed to respecting “human rights, animal welfare and the environment.” Which means, as far as the rubber is concerned, it is all natural and sourced from plantations in China, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. In a sustainability statement, the company explains that they “recently signed a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) position statement on the responsible sourcing of natural rubber, it commits to sourcing rubber from deforestation-free, environmentally- conscious and socially responsible natural rubber.”

I discovered something else about the company that I didn’t know, which is they started a charity initiative in 2012 called Hunter Donated. Since then, they have donated 116,335 fully functional waterproof Wellington boots to their global charity partners around the world.

“Hunter Donated has provided boots in response to natural disasters in Haiti and Puerto Rico as well as to development organisations in Cambodia and to local farmers in East Timor,” says the company. “So far, we have reached thousands of people across four continents.”

hunter boots© Hunter boots doing the good work.

For more information and to see the vegan edit, visit Hunter.

Burger King Sued by Vegans for Impossible Burger Contamination

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BURGER KINGSUED BY VEGANS FOR IMPOSSIBLE BURGER CONTAMINATIONWe Want Burger Our Way!!!
11/18/2019 7:18 AM PT

EXCLUSIVE

Getty

A bunch of vegans are suing Burger King because they want to have their Impossible Burgers their way … pristine, without any meat residue on the grill.

Phillip Williams just filed a class-action lawsuit, claiming the burger giant advertises the Impossible Burger as a vegan alternative to its meat burgers, yet they’re all cooked on the same grill.

Williams says his burger was contaminated by meat byproducts. He bought the burger in question in ATL.

STARS EATING BURGERSLAUNCH GALLERY
The lawsuit says Burger King has no disclosures on its menu that would notify a consumer prior to the purchase of the Impossible Whopper that it was cooked in a manner that would result in meat by-products on the burger.

He notes there have been numerous complaints posted online by outraged vegans.

Williams not only wants damages … he wants the judge to order Burger King to stop cooking Impossible Burgers and the OG burgers on the same grill.

Scientists Are Literally Spinning Up Lab-Grown Meat

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When Cypher is selling out his compatriots over dinner with Agent Smith in The Matrix, he muses: “I know this steak doesn’t exist. I know that when I put it in my mouth, the Matrix is telling my brain that it is juicy and delicious. After nine years, you know what I realize? Ignorance is bliss.”

In a simulation like the Matrix, ones and zeroes represent every nuance of that steak—the texture, the smell, the flavor. Here in 2019, scientists are still stuck in the lab, racing to reverse-engineer animal flesh component by component, with the goal of one day feeding the carnivores among us in a (theoretically) more sustainable way. To that end, Harvard researchers have taken inspiration from a cotton candy machine to develop a kind of meat scaffold made of thin strands of gelatin that mimic muscle fibers, on which animals cells grow. It’s a step toward steaks, chicken breasts, and pulled pork grown in a factory instead of a field—but before you get too hungry, understand that it’ll be quite some time before slabs of lab-grown meat land on your plate.

Testing showed the gelatinous material had a similar texture to real meat.VIDEO: HARVARD UNIVERSITY

So, about that cotton candy machine: The carnival version works by heating sugar in a container and spinning it at high speed, flinging the sugar out and crystalizing it into strands, which form into a cloud, usually colored pink. Same principle behind the machine these researchers pieced together—though theirs spins much faster, at 30,000 rpm. And pardon this next metaphor, but the next component is a sort of toilet bowl. “If you put that cotton candy machine upside down in a toilet bowl full of solvent, you could spin a whole lot of fibers,” says Harvard bioengineer Kit Parker, a coauthor on a new paper describing the work.

microscopic images of gelatin fibers which look like uncooked angel hair pasta and rabbit skeletal muscle which looks...
PHOTOGRAPH: HARVARD UNIVERSITY
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The solvent, a mixture of ethanol and water, keeps the fibers from falling apart as they fling out of the supercharged cotton candy machine. The fibers themselves are made of pig-derived gelatin, which is a product of broken-down collagen. In a regular steak, collagen forms what’s known as the extracellular matrix, or the scaffolding that holds the meat together. How it’s cooked, then, defines its structure and flavor. For instance, you’ve probably had at least one terribly cooked steak that curls up at the edges. “It’s not very tasty, it’s pretty dry,” says Parker. “The collagen curled up instead of transitioning into gelatin.” By contrast, in slow-cooked pulled pork, the low temperatures give collagen the chance to turn into flavor-packed gelatin. And by using gelatin to make these fibers, the researchers can create a tender meat analog.

Speaking of pulled pork, you know how it comes apart into that mass of fibers? That’s because skeletal muscle cells fuse together into long strands. With these lab-spun gelatin fibers, the researchers provided a similar kind of scaffolding, to which they added either cow or rabbit cells. “You don’t want the cells to be like bricks in a brick building,” says Parker. “You want them to be nice and long, like that pulled pork. So having these long fibers, the cells attach to the fibers and they form protein junctions, and then they grow along the length of the fiber.”

photos of red meat fibers an plated gelatin items in petri dish and the fibers pulled in petri dish
Rabbit cells (the white bits) adhere to the gelatin fibers.PHOTOGRAPH: HARVARD UNIVERSITY

The end product is a meat analog whose consistency rivals the real thing. Parker and his colleagues ran a “texture profile analysis”—more or less a little metal hammer that presses down on the material to test its consistency. “Lo and behold, the chewability, or the toughness of this meat, is pretty similar to the other kinds of meat that you might see in the store,” adds Parker.

Now, some big caveats here: The researchers didn’t do a taste test because for one, this isn’t a food-safe lab. Also, this lab-grown meat isn’t cooked, which will transform it in complex, yet to be studied ways. And growing the animal cells—whether in a petri dish, as other lab-grown meat companies are tinkering with, or on these gelatin fibers—is still a tricky process that requires the right temperature, moisture, and nutrient content.

stretched white gelatin behind black ruler
PHOTOGRAPH: HARVARD UNIVERSITY
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At the moment, companies can grow animal cells to make unstructured products like ground beef or chorizo just fine, because it’s a mush of meat. But to actually replicate a steak in the lab—hoo boy, that’s going to take some work. Not only does the meat have to grow in nice fibers, you have to incorporate connective tissues and fat—that critical component that makes a rib eye so good and lean chicken kinda meh. If it all comes together and lab-grown steaks eventually are what’s for dinner, they’ll be meticulously engineered foods that somehow look and smell like meat before and after cooking, and then somehow taste and feel like meat in your mouth.

Perhaps Cypher had it right: Ignorance is bliss.