Food is one of the basic needs of a healthy life, but some food technologies haven’t changed for centuries despite numerous issues. Recently there has been much news about projects and concepts meant to resolve these issues.
Technologies
Below is an overview of a few projects in food science.
Lab-grown food
The whole world can’t go vegan, but you may agree that growing and slaughtering living creatures for nutrition in the 21st century just feels wrong. Recent studies show that it’s possible to grow meat in cell culture instead of inside animals, so basically meat can be grown in the same way as plants. There’re many companies working on growing cultured meat, the first impressive result was achieved by Dr. Mark Post. In 2013 he successfully grew meat in Maastricht University lab, then made a burger from it and publicly ate it.
Lab-grown meat (source: http://gizmodo.com/the-future-will-be-full-of-lab-grown-meat-1720874704)
The other basic products that can already be grown in a lab are eggs and milk. According to recent discoveries and studies, lab-grown milk and eggs could hit store shelves in 5 years.
Lab-grown milk (source: http://modernfarmer.com/2014/12/coming-soon-3-vegan-scientists-lab-grown-milk/)
All-in-one nutrition
Some people don’t have enough time for cooking or just hate cooking. There’re a few projects that may help these people, they offer ready-to-drink meals that contain all essential nutrients. The most famous among them is Soylent, they state that their drink contains all required nutrients and it’s healthier than eating convenience food. Recently, nevertheless, they have reported health issues from customers which they need to investigate.
All-in-one drinks (source: http://futurism.com/soylent-2-0-taste-test-could-you-drink-this-every-day/)
Vertical farming
This one is not meant to change the food itself but its way of production. The main issues of today’s farming include lack of availability of agricultural land, lack of fresh water and complex growing process that basically hasn’t changed for ages. Vertical farms are to resolve these issues, especially in big cities where land is too expensive. AeroFarms claims that it was able to create a vertical farm that uses no soil and 95% less water.
AeroFarms racks (source: http://aerofarms.com/our-farms/)
Conclusion
Science and technology is about to change the food industry, hopefully resolving global challenges like world hunger and lack of fresh water. At the same time I think that food technology is not fully researched; therefore, we should be careful using it.
What do you think about these technologies?
Would you eat naturally produced or lab-grown food?
Do you think that growing plants in vertical farms can affect taste?
Would you eat naturally produced or lab-grown food?
Do you think that growing plants in vertical farms can affect taste?
References
http://weburbanist.com/2016/06/05/worlds-biggest-indoor-vertical-farm-near-nyc-to-use-95-less-water/
Comments
When I think about lab, the only think that comes to my mind is chemistry. As all people know, the chemistry isn't somethink that we would like provide to our organisms.
Secondly: people for ages have been growing cows or chickens in order to get food. No matter is it producement of milk, eggs or meat - theese animals have been breeded for that reason in ages and I don't think that it's a fact that we have to change.
Personally I am not going to eat any lab-grown food, because it sounds disqusting for me.
I am almost sure that plants grown in vertical farms have different taste than the natural ones. They are fake and nothing can change it.
If people has been doing something for ages it doesn't mean that it shouldn't be changed, some time ago we used to live in caves:)
further future. Even now we heard that the people used to live longer, and there wasn't so many diseases. In the other hand the lab grown food is much cheaper so merchant will be found.
I would eat lab-grown food if it had been well tested and scientifically proven that it is harmless for health.
In my point of view plants in vertical farms can be tasty. If this technology will be develop as far as it will become better than natural, everyone will be happy.
I was also surprised to hear they could grow eggs and milk in a lab, although that's not so bad in my taste, but I'm not sure if I'd like to try it.
How does vertical farm works actually?
By the way, if I remember well - correct me if I'm wrong - this lab-grown burger you mentioned costed over $300.000.
I'm not a scientist, but based on the articles I've read they work in the same way as regular farms, but there're racks instead of plains, also there's an artificial light and some nutritive liquid instead of the soil.
I don't know what to think cause they eliminated two the most important factors in a cultivation: sun and water. That's why I don't believe it could be healthy like the tradicionally grown food is.
Would you prefer lab-grown food if it was fully tested? Of course if it looked the same and tasted the same.
If lab-grown food is healthy and has such benefits as natural meet - I’d choose lab-grown food. I really love meet and I love animals… But I love to meet more than animals.
It would be cool if it actually solved world hunger though.
Growing meat in labs we can monitor the environment better, prevent it from having some sickness. There would be no use for drugs and chemicals used right now in farms. Additionally I'm sure that growing meat in lab would use less space.
I highly doubt if eating lab raised meat would be less healthy than eating farm raised one.
I think I would, but the question is when can it be considered fully tested.
It the future for mankind. With not sufficient agricultural areas in the world and with rising pollution of existing it’s the only reasonable way of developing our nurturing needs. GMO it’s not the thereat, it’s opportunity. All-in-one nutrition has huge “hype” in Silicon Valley because of many people who work all-days in front of the computers and where building business is a constant race against the time and furious competition.
Would you eat naturally produced or lab-grown food?
Of course, there is many scientific publications that it’s not affecting human being in harmful way and it will probably be cheaper than organic food.
Do you think that growing plants in vertical farms can affect taste?
Not if there will be high quality air conditioning and if the fertilizers will be all natural. But if we want it to be cost effective we cannot build it in city centers and urban areas, more in our suburbs.
Never say never, the world is changing everyday. When this technological food will become avai;able, maybe we should try it. In this case it will be official lab products.
I like to try new things so this technologies don't seem like for me :P
It is of course good to develop and research new technologies but I think it isn't for me
I'd probably be up for eating such food if it tastes good or at least not as bad as I think it does. Vertical farms most likely do affect the overall taste, as nearly everything does, question is how much.
However while there was a time when I thought it's something I'd look forward to, I don't think I miss it that much anymore.