shmeat, meat without slaughter georgi harris brunning
TRANSCRIPT
SHMEAT, Meat Without Slaughter Georgi Harris Brunning NWABR Bioethics Workshop July 21, 2011 INTRODUCTION Maria was amazed at the struggles Wilbur the pig went through to avoid slaughter. At age 10, she had spotted a book in the library with a picture of the cute little pig named Wilbur. The book was titled Charlotte’s Web and it would change her life forever. In the story the spider, Charlotte, tries to help Wilbur the pig become famous, so that he will be too special to eat. She had never realized the meat she ate every day came from cows and pigs. It seemed so cruel to kill these innocent animals just to eat them. After reading the book she decided that she would never eat meat again. It had been a struggle, especially when driving by Burger King when the wind was blowing the aroma of char-broiled meat her way. But at age 18, she was still committed to not eat any animals that would have to die to feed her. As she checked her email one day, an ad appeared in the sidebar promoting a new ‘murderless’ meat. It was earth friendly, used far less resources to produce and created hardly any green house gases. Could this be true? She hesitated before clicking on the ad for more info. What if it was a trick to spread a virus to vegetarian computers? That would be too innovative of a story for a scammer to create, though. She clicked on the ad and was amazed at what she read. It was cowless beef and pigless pork, animal-free meat! They could grow the muscle tissue in the lab from cells harvested painlessly from an animal featured in the ad. No more animals living in filthy, crowded pens, being dosed with tons of antibiotics and hormones. This could be healthy and imagine how much more meat could be grown per acre of land. Mad cow disease could be eliminated along with E.coli infections. This just sounded too good to be true. If this new method of meat production takes off, it could change the entire industry. Every consumer could be faced with the same decision about the meat they eat. Maria needed more information to decide if this was something that she could eat. Should meat be grown in the lab instead of in an animal? Questions started to crowd her mind as she considered the possibility of being able to eat meat again without harming an innocent animal. When would it available? What would it taste like? Would it be safe to eat? Was this going against nature? She needed more information and so do you....
Figure 1: A lab-grown steak. (Source: The Tissue Culture and Art Project, Disembodied Cuisine
BACKGROUND INFORMATION Maria had so many questions she decided to get on Facebook and chat with her old favorite biology teacher, Mr. Schuster. Schu, as he was called by his students, would know what was up with this schmeat or at least he would know where to find more information. She signed in and saw he was online. She clicked on his chat icon and started typing. “Hey Schu, I just saw an ad for murderless meat, they grow it in a lab without the animal. Have you heard of that? Do you think it is safe to eat?” It was almost like he had been waiting for her, he started typing his response immediately. “Hello Maria, it is nice to hear from you. Funny you should ask me about the shmeat, or meat grown from cell cultures in a lab. I was just reading an article about that from the Environmental Science and Technology journal. Remember in class when learned about the environment and climate change? We learned about greenhouse gases (GHG) and how methane was one of the most potent? We also talked about how cows contribute methane to the atmosphere through their flatulence and burps. Livestock produce 18% of the GHG emissions. Growing meat from lab culture would reduce their emissions by up to 96%, which means meat production would produce less than 1% of the GHG. Isn’t that amazing?” Ugh, Maria thought, Schu can be so geeky. She needed to know more though so she responded. “Yes that is very cool, but how do they do it, is it real meat and is it safe to eat? Why do you call it shmeat?” Schu continued, enjoying the former student’s desire for knowledge. “Well, Maria, the term “shmeat” came from the idea of growing sheets of meat-shmeat. It is also known as cultured meat, hydroponic meat, test-tube meat, vat-grown meat, victimless meat, tank steak, sci fi sausage, petri pork, beaker bacon, Frankenburger, vat-grown veal, laboratory lamb, trans-ham, factory filet, test tube tuna, cultured chicken, and in vitro meat. Although I also read that chicken is cheaper to raise on a farm than grow in a lab.” “Great, Schu but how do they do it?” “If you recall, Maria, we learned about how scientists grow skin in labs for burn patients. It is kind of the same process, except they need stem cells that will produce muscle cells and a way to exercise the cells so they have some texture. I read that they used to grow the cells on meat broth, but that would require an animal sacrifice, so lately they have tried growing it on a blue-green algae called Cyanobacteria hydrolysate, which we know as pond scum.” To Maria, that sounded disgusting. “Gross! Will it taste like pond scum?” Schu shot back a “LOL, of course not, does the fish you eat taste like worms? Think of how much land we could free up. Right now livestock take up 30% of the ice-free land on Earth. Lab grown meat would only use 1% of the land. Livestock use 8% of our global fresh water; lab grown meat would only need 4% of the water. Since there is no blood, bone or fat, shmeat would require less refrigeration to keep it cool. And think of all the manure that would not be around to pollute our water and soil.” “Schu, it sounds like it would be great for the environment but what about people eating it, is it going to be like that book I read called “Soylent Green?” “Maria, don’t you remember what the source was of soylent green? This is not the same at all, this is meat tissue grown in a lab, not processed from other organisms. That reminds me, I read that a company in Japan has produced a meat substitute by taking fat and protein from feces and mixing it up with a reaction enhancer and putting it in an exploder. I’m not sure if that is real or not though.” “OMG, who would want to eat that, Schu?” “So many people go without food, especially protein. Think about it, Maria, meat could be grown in every country, it could be affordable and accessible to everyone. We could also control the kind and amount of fat it contains, to reduce cardiovascular disease.” “That does sound good, Schu, but will it make me sick?”
“Maria, It will get rid of E. coli and Mad Cow disease, it would be much cleaner than what comes out of a feedlot now. NASA actually started research, over ten years ago, into shmeat for astronauts to grow on long space expeditions.” “I need to go soon, Schu, Sammie is waiting to chat. Can you tell me anything bad about shmeat?” “Tell Sammie I said Hi, and she should friend me. I have to tell you, Maria, with any new technology, there are a lot of unknowns. How will the industry do things? Will they add hormones or genetically modify the cells? Will the patents keep the prices high? And what happens to all the people in the livestock industry, all the equipment and animals and land and way of life? I guess this is something that needs some ethical consideration. Remember the Bioethics 101 curriculum we studied? Good time for you to use that. PETA has offered one million dollar to whoever can get a shmeat to market in 10 states by 2012. So you have a bit of time to think about this issue. Good Luck and let’s chat again-bbfn.” “Bye, Schu, thanks for your help!” Maria, had much to consider, she could hardly wait to share this with Sammie, she clicked on her icon and the conversation began..... Now it is your turn: “Should meat be grown in the lab instead of an animal?” Here is your assignment: 1. Work in groups of two or three. Go to your SHMEAT handout and make a list of all the facts that you believe are relevant to this ethical question. If you have additional questions you would like answered, record them on your SHMEAT worksheet in the questions section. 2. When you are done, turn your paper over so the teacher will know you are ready to continue with the lesson. 3. Join in the large group discussion to identify the main stakeholders (not to be confused with the steak holders). Record the stake holders on your SHMEAT handout. 4. In your small group discuss and record:
a. what are the values and concerns of each stakeholder b. identify the bioethical principles to which each stakeholder gives priority c. generate possible options to resolve the ethical questions
5. Individually, write a strong justification paragraph for your decision in this topic in the space provided on your SHMEAT handout. Check out your justification template to be sure you have a complete paragraph. 6. We are going to complete an additional analysis about the sustainability of growing meat in the lab. Go to the SUSTAINABILITY handout. Label each part of the circles with one of the following terms:
Environment/Ecology/Nature Socio-environmental Social/Society/Community Socio-economic Economy Eco-economy Sustainability
7. On the SUSTAINABILITY handout, fill in pros and cons for each aspect of SUSTAINABILITY TABLE. 8. So far this year we have covered Ecology, Sustainability, Cells, Cell Processes, Genetics and Biotechnology, including stem cells and genetically modified organisms. Write a one page summary describing how this case study is related to all of these topics.
SHMEAT
Name____________________________________________Date_____________Period_________
Part I Ethical Question:
Part II Facts and Questions
Relevant Facts (known)
Questions that Remain (unknown, need to know)
Part III Stakeholder Values
Stakeholders (people/ entities affected by the decision) …….…………………………………
………………………………………
………………………………………
………………………………………
Values/Concerns of each stakeholder
………………………………………………………..……….…………………..
………………………………………………..………….……………………....
………………………………………..……………………….…………………..
………………………………………………………………….…………………..
Bioethical principle(s) given priority ……………………………………
……………………………………
……………………………………
……………………………………
5. Generating Options (What are some possible options to resolve the ethical question?)
6. Write a strong justification paragraph for your decision on the topic. Make sure to answer the following questions:
a. What is your position on this issue? b. What is the factual content to support your position that can be confirmed or refuted regardless of cultural or personal views? c. What are the views and interests of the individuals or groups affected by the decision that you think are most relevant to your
position? d. What ethical considerations can be included to support the position? (Respect for others, Maximize Benefits/Minimize Harms) e. What are the alternative options and why are they not as strong as your position?
SUSTAINABILITY HANDOUT NAME_______________________________________
SSo
Identify pros and cons for each aspect of sustainability ASPECT OF SUSTAINABILITY PRO CON
ENVIRONMENT/ ECOLOGY/ NATURE
SOCIO-ENVIRONMENTAL
SOCIAL/ SOCIETY/
COMMUNITY
SOCIO-ECONOMIC
ECONOMY
ECO-ECONOMY
SUSTAINABILITY
SUSTAINABILITY HANDOUT page 2 So far this year we have covered Ecology, Cells, Cell Processes, Genetics and Biotechnology, including stem cells and genetically modified organisms. Write a one page summary describing how this case study is related to all of these topics. You may write it below or email it to your teacher.
TEACHER RESOURCES
This case study is written for high school biology students. science topics: cell division, cell structure and function, stem cells, genetic engineering, climate change/greenhouse gases, communicable diseases, nutrition, population growth, food equity, safety of GMOs, economics Potential Questions Is the meat natural? Is the meat kosher? Is it bad to eat flesh? Where did this idea come from? Is the meat safe to eat? What kind of side effects will it produce? Is it going to be genetically modified? If it is genetically modified, will it still be safe? How cells are grown? How will the cells be exercised? Do they need to be genetically altered to maximize the nutrient quality? How much meat can be grown? How much energy/resources are involved? What will it taste like? How will it be of benefit to the environment? What harm could it cause the environment or people? Is scaffolding necessary to grow cells on? What material will be used for scaffolding? What will be the impact on those who work in the livestock industry? What will the cells be fed? How long will the cells take to grow?
SHMEAT
Name_______KEY OF POSSIBLE ANSWER______Date_____________Period_________
Part I Ethical Question:
Should meat be grown in the lab instead of an animal?
Part II Facts and Questions
Relevant Facts (known) Livestock produce 18% of the GHG emissions. Growing meat from lab culture would reduce their emissions by up to 96%, which means meat production would produce less than 1% of the GHG. The term “shmeat” came from the idea of growing sheets of meat-shmeat. It is also known as cultured meat, hydroponic meat, test-tube meat, vat-grown meat, victimless meat, tank steak, sci fi sausage, petri pork, beaker bacon, Frankenburger, vat-grown veal, laboratory lamb, trans-ham, factory filet, test tube tuna, cultured chicken, and in vitro meat. Chicken is cheaper to raise on a farm than grow in a lab. It is grown on a blue-green algae called Cyanobacteria hydrolysate, which we know as pond scum.” Stem cells are used to produce muscle cells. Looking for way to exercise the cells so they have some texture. Livestock currently take up 30% of the ice-free land on Earth. Lab grown meat would only use 1% of the land. Livestock use 8% of our global fresh water; lab grown meat would only need 4% of the water. There is no blood, bone or fat, so shmeat would require less refrigeration to keep it cool. The manure would not be around to pollute our water and soil.” Meat could be grown in every country, it could be affordable and accessible for everyone. The kind and amount of fat it contains, can be controlled to reduce cardiovascular disease.” Shmeat could get rid of E. coli and Mad Cow disease. NASA started research, over ten years ago, into shmeat for astronauts to grow on long space expeditions.” . PETA has offered one million dollar to whoever can get a shmeat to market in 10 states by 2012.
Questions that Remain (unknown, need to know)Is the meat natural? Is the meat kosher? Is it bad to eat flesh? Is the meat safe to eat? What kind of side effects will it produce? Is it going to be genetically modified? If it is genetically modified, will it still be safe? How will the cells be exercised? Do they need to be genetically altered to maximize the nutrient quality? How much meat can be grown? How much energy/resources are involved? What will it taste like? What harm could it cause the environment or people? Is it necessary to grow cells on scaffolding? What material will be used for scaffolding? What will be the impact on those who work in the livestock industry? How long will the cells take to grow? How will the industry do things? Will they add hormones or genetically modify the cells? Will the patents keep the prices high?
5. Generating Options (What are some possible options to resolve the ethical question?)
1. In the interest of the environment, all meat of cows and pigs should be grown only in the lab,
livestock ranches should be eliminated.
2. All research into shmeat should be stopped, meat should only be grown on animals, shmeat should
be outlawed.
3. Research should continue and shmeat should be developed, but meat from cows should also be
available.
6. Write a strong justification paragraph for your decision on the topic. Make sure to answer the following questions:
a. What is your position on this issue? b. What is the factual content to support your position that can be confirmed or refuted regardless of cultural or personal views? c. What are the views and interests of the individuals or groups affected by the decision that you think are most relevant to your
position? d. What ethical considerations can be included to support the position? (Respect for others, Maximize Benefits/Minimize Harms) e. What are the alternative options and why are they not as strong as your position?
Part III Stakeholder Values
Stakeholders (people/ entities affected by the decision)
Vegatarians …….…………………………………
Non-Vegetarians
………………………………………
Livestock Industry
………………………………………
Environmentalist
………………………………………
Values/Concerns of each stakeholder
able to eat meat without harm to animals, more protein options, helps environment may be GMO, doesn’t seem natural, might taste bad.
……………………………………………………..……….…………………..
less guilt about eating meat, helps the environment, may not be safe, may not taste like my steak,
………………………………………………..………….……………………....
Easier lifestyle, career changes, loss of employment , what to do with useless equipment, and land threat to culture
……………………………………..……………………….…………………..
will greatly reduce greenhouse gases and pollution, help in distribution of protein sources to needy people, don’t want GMO meat, is it natural
………………………………………………………………….…………………..
Bioethical principle(s) given priority
respect maximize good/minimum harm ……………………………………
Respect maximize good/minimum harm
……………………………………
respect
……………………………………
respect maximize good/minimum harm
……………………………………
SUSTAINABILITY HANDOUT NAME_______________________________________
SSo
Identify pros and cons for each aspect of sustainability
ASPECT OF SUSTAINABILITY PRO CON
ENVIRONMENT/ ECOLOGY/ NATURE
will great reduce greenhouse gases and pollution, help in distribution of protein
sources. to needy people
don’t want GMO meat
SOCIO-ENVIRONMENTAL
able to eat meat without harm to animals.
more protien options, helps environment
may be GMO or considered unnatural.
SOCIAL/ SOCIETY/
COMMUNITY
Healthier for people, what they eat and their environment.
doesn’t seem natural, might taste bad.
SOCIO-ECONOMIC
Easier lifestyle
loss of employment , what to do with useless equipment, and land
retrain livestock workers ECONOMY
Increased number of meat consumers Major impact on an livestock industry
What to do with cows and pigs? ECO-ECONOMY
Helps the environment and allows more people access to meat for protein
Open up land for other uses.
SUSTAINABILITY
.Good for environment, health of people and still contributes to economy
ENVIRONMENT/ECOLOGY/NATURE
Socio-Environmental
SOCIAL/ SOCIETY/
COMMUNITY
ECONOMY Socio-Economic
Eco‐Economy
SUSTAINABILITY
SUSTAINABILITY HANDOUT page 2 So far this year we have covered Ecology, Cells, Cell Processes, Genetics and Biotechnology, including stem cells and genetically modified organisms. Write a one page summary describing how this case study is related to all of these topics. You may write it below or email it to your teacher.
Justify the Answer What Makes a Strong Justification to an Ethical Question?
A good justification includes:
Which means…
A DECISION A position has been clearly stated. The decision relates directly to the ethical question.
FACTS The facts and science content can be confirmed or refuted regardless of personal or cultural views.
ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Ethical considerations may include Respect for Persons, Maximize Benefits/Minimize Harm, and Justice, in addition to others.
STAKEHOLDER VIEWS There are a variety of views and interests in the decision and more than one individual or group will be affected by the outcome.
ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS
No one decision will satisfy all parties. A thorough justification considers strengths and weaknesses of various options.
REFERENCES :(1) FAO Livestock’s Long Shadow À Environmental Issues and Options; Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations: Rome, 2006. (2) de Vries, M.; de Boer, I. J. M. Comparing environmental impacts for livestock products: A review of life cycle assessments. Livestock Science 2010, 128, 1. (3) Edelman, P. D.; McFarland, D. C.; Mironov, V. A.; Matheny, J. G. Commentary: In vitro-cultured meat production. Tissue Eng. 2005, 11, 659. (4) Bhat, Z. F.; Bhat, H. Animal-free meat biofabrication. Am. J. Food Technol. 2011, 6, 441. (5) Jones, N. Food: A taste of things to come? Nature 2010, 468, 752 (6) Datar, I.; Betti, M. Possibilities for an in vitro meat production system. Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies 2010, 11, 13. (7) Tuomisto, H.L. and Teixeira de Mattos, M.J. (2011). Environmental Impacts of Cultured Meat Production. Environmental Science and Technology. 45(14), pp. 6117 – 6123. doi:10.1021/es200130u.
(8)University of Oxford (2011, July 18). Lab-grown meat would cut greenhouse gas emissions and save energy, research suggests. ScienceDaily. Retrieved July 19, 2011, from
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110714101036.htm (9) Dennis, Felix (June 21, 2011). Lab-Grown Meat: A solution to global warming? This Week. Retrieved July 20, 2011, from http://theweek.com/article/index/216528/lab-grown-meat-a-solution-to-global-warming (10) Bartholet, Jeffrey (June 2011) When will scientist grow meat in a petri dish? Scientific American. Retrieved July 21, 211, from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=inside-the-meat-lab&page=2