Study Buddy (Challenger): What is lab-grown meat? Will vegetarians eat it? Is it better for the environment?

[2] Cultivated meat is made by harvesting cells from live animals, “feeding” the cells with nutrients so they can grow in a bioreactor and turning the result into a product consumers can eat. Take fish maw, for example. The swim bladder of a fish is considered a delicacy in many Asian countries. To create a lab-grown version of croaker fish maws, scientists from Hong Kong-based Avant Meats place fish cells in a culture medium containing dozens of different nutrients and store them in a bioreactor connected to an oxygen tank. Within weeks, those cells proliferate into tissues the size of a grain of rice, at which point they’re ready for assembly into larger pieces.

[3] Plant-based meat refers to “meat” that is made from soy or other non-meat ingredients – Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat are two high-profile companies producing plant-based meat products. But lab-grown meat is produced by cultivating animal cells directly. It has the exact same nutrition as conventionally produced beef, pork, poultry and seafood – though researchers are still perfecting the taste and texture of both plant-based and lab-grown meats.

[4] Technically, cultivated meat is not vegan or even vegetarian: it’s made from growing cells taken from real animals. But people become vegetarians for different reasons, ranging from concerns over animal rights to fears about the use of antibiotics and hormones in livestock. Many vegetarians avoid meat in an effort to keep from exhausting environmental resources. On some of these fronts, cell-based meat might be a viable alternative.

[5] Lab-grown meat can play a vital role in helping restore biodiversity, which has long been threatened by traditional agriculture. Consider, for example, that clearing land for cattle ranching is responsible for about 80 per cent of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. But when it comes to cultivated protein’s climate impact, the answer isn’t straightforward.

[6] Most doubts about cultivated protein have to do with its limitations: for now, it’s still highly expensive to produce, which makes widespread sales – even with regulatory approval – difficult to imagine any time soon.
Source: Bloomberg, January 12

1. In paragraph 1, “lab-grown meat” and “cultured meat” are of “cultivated meat”.
A. antonyms
B. similes
C. synonyms
D. metaphors

2. What are the potential benefits of lab-grown meat mentioned in paragraph 1?

3. According to paragraph 2, how are fish cells grown into larger tissues at Avant Meats?

4. Find a word in paragraph 2 that refers to “something especially rare or expensive that is good to eat”.

5. According to paragraph 3, what are plant-based and lab-grown meats still lacking, when compared to conventional meat?

6. What does “it” in paragraph 3 refer to?

7. Which group of people mentioned in paragraph 4 are LEAST likely to consume cultivated meat?
A. those who are leading eco-friendly lifestyles
B. animal rights advocates who seek to end all forms of animal suffering
C. individuals who are concerned about the presence of antibiotics in meat products
D. none of the above

8. In paragraph 5, what has most of the land in the Amazon rainforest been cleared for?

9. Refer to the article. For each paragraph, what would be the best heading? Match the headings in the right column with the respective paragraphs. (5 marks)

1. C
2. It could be an answer to soaring agricultural emissions, deteriorating biodiversity and alarming food insecurity.
3. They are placed in a culture medium containing dozens of different nutrients and stored in a bioreactor connected to an oxygen tank.
4. delicacy
5. taste and texture
6. cultivated meat / lab-grown meat / cultured meat (any one)
7. B
8. cattle ranching
9. (i) C; (ii) E; (iii) A; (iv) D; (v) B