In Vitro Meat

In vitro, or cultured, meat is meat that is produced outside of a living animal. Originating from Latin, the words in vitro literally mean “in glass,” and in this context, the words refer to the production of meat in a test tube or other artificial environment. Living animals produce meat in vivo—that is, within a living organism. In vitro meat production is a new process that addresses concerns about the increase in meat consumption, population growth, land use, environmental impact, and ethical considerations.

Over half of the global agricultural land is used for livestock production, and livestock significantly increase greenhouse gas emissions. In vitro meat production could mitigate these issues while increasing the supply of meat. Along with these environmental and productivity pressures, the ethics involved ...