Hamburgers are an American classic. In one year, Americans eat about 50 billion burgers (Huffington Post). There is no hiding how much we love eating meat and how much we crave those tasty burgers. But, will this craving disappear if we replace our hamburger meat with in-vitro meat?

About a year ago, Professor Mark Post from Maastricht Univeristy served the first test-tube hamburger. He had been persistent at attempting to grow meat in the laboratory since 2008. Unlike imitation meat such as soy protein, this burger is made from a real animal. It is created by muscle stem cells from cows. According to Popular Science, the meat was formed from 20,000 cells mixed with bread crumbs and eggs. This lab grown burger was served to two brave volunteers. Both of them agreed that it had a good taste and that it was close to meat.

Dr. Post was thrilled that he was finally successful, but he was concerned that it will take at least 10 to 20 years before the in-vitro meat can be mass produced. Dr. Post also shared that it would be possible to create the meat from any animal cells. This would cause an increase in supply of the meat.

To be honest, I have mixed feelings about eating a burger that was created in a laboratory. I do realize that there are many advantages to producing meat this way. For example, this process is more ethical because there is no harm done to the animals when creating this meat. Their cells are taken painlessly from them and we would no longer be killing off livestock for our meat. This is seen very positively in the eyes of many vegetarians. For those who do not eat meat because they are against animal cruelty, they will no longer have to worry about animals suffering in this process.  In addition to this, it is cheaper to produce in-vitro meat with our current technology. In-vitro meat is also healthier for us because scientists can control the fat content and the nutritional content (In-Vitro Meat).

On the other hand, there are also some disadvantages to this new discovery. I mentioned previously that it is cheaper to produce the in-vitro meat, but it is very expensive to fund research and development for making the meat. Also, one of the biggest disadvantages is that majority of the public is not in favor of change. Most people assume that the lab grown meat will taste disgusting and they are not interested in trying new meat since they are already satisfied with the meat they have been eating for years (Huffington Post). Many people argue that the in-vitro meat is not solving anything. There are already cheaper diet solutions for vegans and vegetarians and people who do enjoy meat are not looking for an alternative.

I found this to be a very interesting topic. After researching, I think I am against the in-vitro meat. Even though it may bring some advantages to the table, I think the disadvantages out weigh them. Personally, I am a very picky eater and I know that I would not be willing to try a burger that was grown in a lab. Also, each of the articles claim that the in-vitro meat is healthier but I am worried that it could have long term health risks that no one is aware of yet. It might be healthier in the nutritional aspect but how can we be sure that no serious health risks will come out of it.  I think it will be difficult for in-vitro meat to become popular since no one knows what to expect in regards to taste, side-effects, etc.