Lab grown food is food that wasn’t grown in the ground or harvested from an animal – and some think tanks believe it could be the solution to some of humanity’s biggest environmental problems. But is it all that it’s cracked up to be, or is lab grown food just a fad that has been blown out of proportion? What’s more, if lab grown food replaces the agricultural business, what will happen to all of those jobs?
Lab grown food is food that was created in a tightly controlled environment. It’s where biology and the kitchen meet to create complex solutions of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and more. One of the most significant promises of the potential lab grown food revolution is that humans could potentially grow their own meat without needing to raise and slaughter animals. Currently, raising livestock has a huge impact on our environment in terms of water consumption, land-use, methane gas emissions, and antibiotics abuse. That’s not to mention the reservations that many people feel about the mass slaughtering of animals for human benefit.
According to an article that appeared in The Guardian, lab grown foods will become cheaper and hugely water and power efficient in as soon as 15 years. The technology already exists today, but it is not entirely ready for mass commercialization. The article also notes that as the name suggests, lab grown foods can be created anywhere on earth – no need for arable farmland. This means it could be a contender for fighting world hunger in ways previously unthought of.
Considering The Downsides of Lab Grown Food
The news about what lab grown food could represent for humanity is exciting to say the least. However, there will inevitably be some downsides to the transition if humanity moves largely into lab grown foods. One obvious consequence would be economic in nature. Specifically, countless agricultural workers, farmers, and food processors could lose their jobs over a very brief period of time.
Another potential issue detailed in The Guardian relates to the centralization of food processing. Right now, many of the worlds food companies are owned by just a small handful of mega corporations. If this technology puts all the small producers out of business, it could lead to a world where an even smaller and increasingly powerful handful of corporations has absolute power over the global food supply. It’s for this reason that the article suggests this technology either shouldn’t be patented at all, or that severe antitrust laws be employed to prevent monopolies from forming.
In the end, it’s easy to see why the benefits will quickly outweigh the potential costs. With the mounting environmental pressures put on our planet by current agricultural practices, lab grown food could be one potential way to, at the very least, slow the acceleration of environmental damage that humans are causing. The only question is, will anyone be willing to eat a lab grown hamburger?
Source: The Guardian
