Scientists were on Monday set to unveil the world’s first lab-grown beef burger, serving it up fried to volunteers in London in what they hope is the start of a food revolution.
The 140 gram patty, which cost more than 250,000 euros (HK$2.57 million) to produce, has been made using strands of meat grown from muscle cells taken from a living cow.
Professor Mark Post of Maastricht University, whose lab developed the meat, says it is safe and has the potential to replace normal meat in the diets of millions of people.
There are concerns that the growing demand for meat is putting unsustainable pressure on the planet, both through the food required for the animals and the methane gas they produce, which contributes to global warming.
“What we are going to attempt is important because I hope it will show cultured beef has the answers to major problems that the world faces,” Post said ahead of Monday’s event.