What if I could genetically alter a plant to produce beef?

Question

Supposing I neither killed nor really harmed a living animal to do so, would you consider eating it?

Assuming we were past the "OMG it's an abomination unto God!" stage.

Please don't make assumptions about what cannot be done with genetics. It is a very young science, and remember that there was a time that we thought it was impossible to artificially synthesis organic matter.

It might be possible.

Sorry, but by definition it would be just as 'organic' as any other plant.

So, anyone up to answering the actual question? Would you eat beef grown from a plant?

Answer 1

yeah, i'll eat it. just cut down on the pesticides =)

Answer 2

Hell no. As a science student myself, I'm aware that it just may be possible if you insert all the right genes etc... (would take a hell of a lot of research though & may not be successful) but why would I want to eat beef? I'm not any more interested in eating beef than I am a dog, cat, or human... it doesn't look or smell at all appetising to me, and I don't really view it as food even. I also think it's not as healthy as the vegetarian diet, so I don't think I'd want to go compromising my health like that (especially for something I don't like in the first place...) - I mean if they could make a plant which produced tractor wheels, would YOU consider eating it?! LOL. I've been vegetarian all my life by the way - just so you have that background info as perhaps my answer may differ from that of people who've eaten loads of beef in the past - and no, I have no interest in trying any meat and yes, I know what I'm missing out on... and I really don't feel I'm missing out at all!

Answer 3

I beleive there is technology either available or under development that can produce meat. It works by cloning cells, I beleive. So what you are saying is... somewhat plausable.

Although I would have been open to this idea when I initially became a vegetarian, i don't really have much interest for it now. Although there is no moral objection, I would still be worried about all the health problems that arise from meat consumption.

Also, I've been a vegetarian for several years & the smell of meat is not appealing to me, & I have no craving for it. I had a bite of fish substitute that tasted too much like fish recently & it made me feel ill. I couldn't eat any more of it.

So although i'd be very, very happy if meat-eaters switched to eating meat that grew on a plant, it would not eliminate the health risks, & i would not be personally tempted to eat it.

Answer 4

As a geneticist, you can not put beef into genes of a plant. Now you could take a gene that makes a specific protein and stick it into plants. Which they have already done, although the gene originated from the brazilian nut genes and stuck it into soy genes. In order to put some gene into a plant you have to do alot of purification to get the DNA and then the specific gene. Plant genes don't carry alot of extra DNA like animals do, so from a purification standpoint, plant genes are what is needed for genetic manipulation.
If you are just asking a question to test whether a vegetarian would consider eating "beef" in the form of an plant, all you have to do is look at the fake meat products. Remember also that vegetarians do not eat animal flesh because it was once an alive creature, and was killed againsts it's will. Putting a beef gene in a plant will not kill a living creature against it's will, so Yes as a vegan I would eat it. Now as an organic vegan, I would not eat it as I am oppose to GMOs going into my body (my body might not be able to handle the new protein, or the genetic cassette that placed the imported gene into the gene of the food has a 2% probability of spontaneous ejection, in which that cassette (with the imported gene) is then free to be picked up by my cells or the bacterial cells in my GI tract - in which case I could then produce the gene myself, of which in most cases becomes a foreign object to my body and you then have an autoimmune disease (rheumatoid arthritis comes to mind) that you will die from).

Answer 5

A: No.

I'm not a vegetarian for the sake of the animals.

That's not to say that contemporary factory farming methods are great; not by a long shot.

But, I've never tasted it, and it looks 'gross' to me. For me, I mean.

To help explain: I find those 'meat substitute' what-nots to be 'meat' for my purposes. I'm no less repelled by a hot dog than I am by a tofu pup.

I grant that I am not in the majority by any means....

But: it's realistic beef? Impossible to tell it came from a plant and not a cow?

Don't care. Still gross.

That said, I have to figure you'd have an _extremely_ popular product with the majority of vegetarians.

And, I suspect any God would smile on something like that.

Answer 6

This is not all so far fetched . Check out this article on growing meat in a lab:
http://www.newsdesk.umd.edu/scitech/release.cfm?ArticleID=1098

The original "seed" needed would just be a very small amount of musle/fat tissue from an animal and they could grow it from there.

Personally I wouldn't eat meat grown in a lab, or meat grown from a genetically altered plant. I don't eat might for animal rights reasons, but I alsod on't like the taste (tastes like blood - yuck!). But from an ethical standpoint, eating meat grown in a lab sure beats using animals for the purpose.

Answer 7

I probably wouldn't eat it, simply because I've become so unaccustomed to the taste/texture of meat that it's not at ALL appealing to me. I do object to the assumption you seem to be making that vegetarians and vegans lust after meat and are somehow depriving themselves by eliminating it from their diet. Still, for the omnivores(at least the ones who aren't health consious, assuming the 'beef' had the same choleterol, etc content as beef) out there I think that would be quite awesome. Less pain for cows ... woot!

Answer 8

It sounds creepy and weird. Would the meat grow like brown clobs coming out of the plant? NASTY! I think that the idea of it is enough to turn me off. If I were wandering through the forest and found a plant such as the one you describe...I wouldn't freakin eat from it! I would think that something horrible happened to it. God has to love you for tryin though!

Answer 9

The possibility of tissue cultures producing "lab grown meat" is being talked about currently in the meat industry. If I'm not mistaken I believe they have already done some testing.

To answer your question, no I wouldn't eat it. I'm Vegan for many reasons, health being one of them. Even if they could make this "meat" with no cholesterol or saturated fat I would still not eat it. Why? Because the idea of lab grown meat kind of creeps me out to be honest.

Answer 10

you could never turn a plant cell into an animal cell. It will never happen. You can only work within the same species. Plant cells are square and entirely different from animal cells which are round.

Answer 11

just like how they can grow human skin in a petri dish now, its a stretch, but what would this meat from a plant look like? a cow leg?

would help me out being a vegan though