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“I don’t think there’s an insect I wouldn’t eat.” Here’s the problem.
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A growing number of chefs, researchers, and entrepreneurs are urgently working toward a common goal: getting us to eat more bugs. But the problem is way bigger than just taste, it’s existential. Foods that were once deemed disgusting are now ordinary fare, even a luxury. Our supermarkets, rather than promoting insect-eating, devote a significant amount of shelf space to products that eradicate them. We know what you’re feeling: Repulsion, right? For most Americans, insects are signifiers of filth that need to be exterminated, not consumed. “And we’re going to finish it off with some whole grasshoppers.” Yeah, we’re talking about insects, specifically eating them. One of those dietary changes we need to consider might even make you a little squeamish. The food system? It causes as much as a third of global greenhouse gas emissions, and unless we make major adjustments to the food we eat and how we produce it, we’re cooked. Melting ice sheets, rampant wildfires, devastating floods. Transcript The Joy of Cooking (Insects) Climate-conscious cooking means getting creative. Watch this Film Club that features an 11-minute film about cooking and eating insects. However, cultured meat is not the only alternative that scientists and environmentalist are studying. You just learned about cellular meat, which supporters believe is more environmentally friendly than slaughterhouse meat. Option 2: Learn about more climate-friendly foods. Or do you think lab-grown meat is a potentially dangerous undertaking that goes against nature and cultural norms? What do you think? Are you supportive of lab-grown meat for its potential benefits to the environment, animals and our health?
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And it ignores the value of time-tested regenerative agricultural practices in favor of unproven claims of environmental gain. Opponents say the process ignores both culture and nature, and could be scientifically risky, creating potential allergens and untested byproducts, along with waste that might be a biohazard. It could reduce food-borne illnesses, they say, and create an abundant meat supply to feed the world. Severson writes:įor true believers, growing meat in tanks is a way to lessen the environmental impact of industrial meat production and relieve animal suffering. In the longer version of this article, “ The New Secret Chicken Recipe? Animal Cells,” Ms. Not everyone agrees about the future, and the potential benefits, of cellular meat.
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Option 1: Weigh in on the debate about cellular meat. Severson’s reaction, make you more or less likely to want to try cellular meat? Going Further What did Kim Severson, the reporter, think about the lab-grown chicken she tried? Does the article, and Ms. How does Upside Foods ensure that the cellular meat tastes like chicken?ĥ. What makes cellular chicken safer for people to eat?Ĥ.
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