Lab-Grown Meat is Also Good for the Environment!
7. Read the passage and say if the statements below are true or false. Then correct the false ones.
About a third of human-caused methane emissions come from livestock, mostly from beef, produced in the digestive process that allows ruminants (including cows, sheep, and goats with four-part stomachs) to absorb plants. Yet, methane from their burps and manure can be seen as both the biggest concern and best opportunity for tackling global heating.
The US Food and Drug Administration has given a safety clearance to lab-grown meat for the first time. ‘Upside Foods’, a California-based company that makes meat from cultivated chicken cells, will begin selling its products once its plants have been inspected by the US Department of Agriculture.
‘Upside Foods’ founder and CEO Uma Valeti proudly said: “The FDA have accepted our conclusion that our cultivated chicken is safe to eat”.
Dr. Robert M. Califf, the FDA’s commissioner, declared: “Advancements in cell culture technology are enabling food Environmental impact of cultured meat, compared to beef cattle developers to use animal cells obtained from livestock, poultry, and seafood in the production of food, with these products expected to be ready for the U.S. market in the near future”.
Uma Valeti affirms that the process of making cultivated meat is “similar to brewing beer, but instead of growing yeast or microbes, we grow animal cells. These products are not vegan, vegetarian or plant-based – they are real meat, made without the animal”.
Advocates hope that cultured meat will reduce the need to slaughter animals for food and help with the climate crisis as the food system is responsible for a big part of global greenhouse gas emissions, most of which are from animal agriculture.
David Kay, director of communications at ‘Upside Foods’, said: “On a larger scale, cultivated meat is projected to use substantially less water and land than conventionally-produced meat”.
(By Katie Hunt, CNN Health, Nov. 2022, adapted)
| T | F | Statement |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Most of the polluting gases affecting climate come from ruminants. | ||
| 2. 'Upside Foods' will have to wait before launching their lab-grown meat on the market. | ||
| 3. They have grown beef meat in their labs. | ||
| 4. The US FDA has concluded that 'Upside Foods' lab-grown meat represents no danger for consumers. | ||
| 5. According to the FDA, lab-grown fish is very likely to be developed. | ||
| 6. 'Upside Foods' uses yeasts to produce lab-grown meat. | ||
| 7. Lab-grown meat is environmentally-friendly. | ||
| 8. Both environmentalists and animalists will appreciate lab-grown meat. |
GLOSSARY
advocate : supporter
burp : air released from the stomach through the mouth
commissioner : representative of the supreme authority in an area
goat : animal related to sheep with horns and a beard
livestock : farm animals kept for use and profit
manure : livestock solid waste
poultry : domesticated birds kept for eggs or meat
to slaughter : to kill an animal for meat
yeast : a type of fungus that is used in making alcoholic drinks, such as beer and wine, and for making bread swell and become light