As many are prepping their grills in anticipation of this year’s Fourth of July cookouts, readying to feast on the oh-so delectable grilled chicken, hot dogs and burgers that have become staple foods on the American holiday, it wouldn’t strike many that the chicken they could be throwing on the grill is in fact lab-grown. Well, that’s the future PETA is envisioning for meat-lovers anyway.
Rest assured the “chicken” hasn’t been developed yet. That’s why PETA recently announced they’re extending the deadline on the $1 million reward they lured scientists in with four years ago to 2013. The cash prize, they say, goes to the first scientist that can produce the in vitro meat in “commercially viable quantities.”
From PETA’s initial announcement page: “Lab Meat: Tastes Like a Million Bucks”
The figure was reached by a team of math nerds working in PETA’s basements who have determined that 1 million is actually very close to the number of chickens killed every hour in the United States—so there’s a nice element of symbolism to the offer as well. But symbolism aside—we’re deadly serious about helping to fund developments in this new science, which has the potential to end the suffering of literally billions of animals if a commercially viable lab meat is made available. As PETA President Ingrid Newkirk puts it:
"People are surprised to learn that PETA is interested in lab-grown meat, but we have overcome our own revulsion at flesh-eating to champion a breakthrough that will mean a far kinder world for animals. One million dollars is a lot of money, but it's a small price to pay for something that has the potential to save about 1 million lives every hour."
From Monday’s announcement:
"There are so many delicious vegan products on the market that taste like chicken, with more on the way, that people are already switching over," says PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk. "But lab chicken is grown from flesh, and if that's what some people still want to put in their mouths, PETA will help deliver it."
How kind. If this ever comes to fruition in the mass market, though, who will PETA blame oil spills and celebrity mental breakdowns on?
Comments to PETA’s initial offer worth noting:
Sigh commented:
Sep 20, 2009 12:38 AM
“I don't understand why PETA protests against human consumption of meat while letting the cats dogs sharks and tigers get away with it.”
Sam commented:
Jun 25, 2008 8:51 PM
“there is a reason why this has not been done before by other veganvegetarian scientists and the reason is pretty obvious if you actually read any science papers involved in tissue generation the process requires that nutrients be given the growing muscle cells and those nutrients come you got it from Fetal Calf Serum. Maybe you want to give million dollars to someone who produces an alternative to Fetal Calf Serum otherwise you're going to be saving chickens by sacrificing baby cows. It amazes me that you haven't figured this out yet.”