10/24/2016
Lab burgers take on cows
It sizzles and even bleeds like real meat, but this burger is entirely plant based. Impossible Foods, a venture partly funded by the world's richest man, Bill Gates, and Google Ventures, has developed a lab-grown burger that matches the texture, aroma, and flavor of real meat. "Our mission being to as much a possible to replace the current system of meat production with something that is much better for the world," said Patrick Brown, founder and CEO of Impossible Foods.
■Class discussion: The burgers were a hit at a San Francisco tasting event. Would you like to try lab-grown meat? Why or why not? What would be the advantages of artificial meat? What would be the disadvantages? How much land, water and energy does it take to produce beef, pork or chicken? How does that compare with growing grains and vegetables? Does raising livestock produce more greenhouse gas?