US Approves Chicken Meat Grown in a Laboratory
2023-06-28
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1U.S. government officials have approved meat that is grown from cells in a laboratory to be sold in restaurants and food stores.
2Companies have been developing "lab-grown" meat for years. But the California-based companies Upside Foods and Good Meat are the first to have their products approved by the Department of Agriculture.
3Chicken is the only "lab-grown" meat permitted in the United States.
4However, lab-grown meat from cattle, pigs and sheep might be available soon.
5Supporters of lab-grown meat say it does not require killing or hurting animals.
6They also say it reduces the effects that feeding animals and animal waste have on the environment.
7Production of meat grown in a laboratory begins by taking cells from fertilized eggs.
8The cells are combined with nutrients that support their growth in steel tanks.
9Upside Foods's lab-grown meat is created in large sheets, which are then formed into final products.
10Good Meat transforms cells into several chicken products.
11The company's products are already available in Singapore, the first country to permit lab-grown meat.
12Lab-grown meat is different from plant-based meat such as Impossible Burgers.
13Those products are made from plant materials.
14Researchers consider lab-grown meat to be "real" meat.
15Company representatives say the lab grown chicken seems like real meat.
16Amy Chen is Upside Foods's chief operating officer.
17She told the Associated Press: "The most common response we get is, 'Oh, it tastes like chicken.'"
18However, lab-grown meat is very costly, so it will not be available in grocery stores any time soon.
19Restaurants are expected to begin serving "lab-grown" meat within two to five years.
20Experts say it might be available in supermarkets in seven to 10 years.
21Both companies have stated that lab-grown meat production will be limited in the coming years.
22For example, Upside Foods can produce about 22,680 kilograms of lab-grown meat a year.
23For comparison, the Department of Agriculture says the U.S. produced about 27 billion kilograms of chicken in 2021.
24Officials expect the price of lab-grown meat to be about $44 per kilogram.
25Critics argue that, at such a high price, only rich people will be able to purchase lab-grown meat.
26Ricardo San Martin is director of the Alt: Meat Lab, part of the University of California, Berkeley.
27Martin told the Associated Press: "If some high-end or affluent people want to eat this instead of a chicken, it's good."
28Then he added, "Will that mean you will feed chicken to poor people? I honestly don't see it."
29Martin said he is concerned that if only a small number of people eat lab-grown meat, it will have little effect on the environment.
30I'm Caty Weaver.
1U.S. government officials have approved meat that is grown from cells in a laboratory to be sold in restaurants and food stores. 2Companies have been developing "lab-grown" meat for years. But the California-based companies Upside Foods and Good Meat are the first to have their products approved by the Department of Agriculture. Chicken is the only "lab-grown" meat permitted in the United States. However, lab-grown meat from cattle, pigs and sheep might be available soon. 3Supporters of lab-grown meat say it does not require killing or hurting animals. They also say it reduces the effects that feeding animals and animal waste have on the environment. 4Production of meat grown in a laboratory begins by taking cells from fertilized eggs. The cells are combined with nutrients that support their growth in steel tanks. 5Upside Foods's lab-grown meat is created in large sheets, which are then formed into final products. Good Meat transforms cells into several chicken products. The company's products are already available in Singapore, the first country to permit lab-grown meat. 6Lab-grown meat is different from plant-based meat such as Impossible Burgers. Those products are made from plant materials. Researchers consider lab-grown meat to be "real" meat. 7Company representatives say the lab grown chicken seems like real meat. 8Amy Chen is Upside Foods's chief operating officer. She told the Associated Press: "The most common response we get is, 'Oh, it tastes like chicken.'" 9However, lab-grown meat is very costly, so it will not be available in grocery stores any time soon. Restaurants are expected to begin serving "lab-grown" meat within two to five years. Experts say it might be available in supermarkets in seven to 10 years. 10Both companies have stated that lab-grown meat production will be limited in the coming years. For example, Upside Foods can produce about 22,680 kilograms of lab-grown meat a year. For comparison, the Department of Agriculture says the U.S. produced about 27 billion kilograms of chicken in 2021. 11Officials expect the price of lab-grown meat to be about $44 per kilogram. Critics argue that, at such a high price, only rich people will be able to purchase lab-grown meat. 12Ricardo San Martin is director of the Alt: Meat Lab, part of the University of California, Berkeley. Martin told the Associated Press: "If some high-end or affluent people want to eat this instead of a chicken, it's good." Then he added, "Will that mean you will feed chicken to poor people? I honestly don't see it." 13Martin said he is concerned that if only a small number of people eat lab-grown meat, it will have little effect on the environment. 14I'm Caty Weaver. 15The Associated Press reported this story. Dominic Varela adapted the report for VOA Learning English. 16___________________________________________________________________ 17Words in This Story 18sheet - n. a thin, flat, usually rectangular piece of some substance 19high-end - adj. (marketing) more costly than similar products 20response - n. an act or instance of replying; answer 21affluent -adj. rich; wealthy; having a lot of money and owning many things 22_______________________________________________________________________ 23What do you think of this story? Would you be willing to try lab-grown meat? 24We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 25Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.