Is this "meat" safe?, im not sure.

Cultivated "Frankenstein meat" can soon be served in Sweden
Domestic

Meat and milk grown in laboratories may within a few years be approved as food in the EU. An application is expected to be submitted already this year. The concept is marketed as climate smart and more humane than slaughtering real animals. At the same time, the production requires tissue and blood to be taken from living animals and fetuses.

- Many question why it is done, says Chalmers researcher Julie Gold.

The manufacturing process is secret, but the concept is that tissue samples are taken from living animals and then grown in laboratories. The cells are placed in a container, a so-called bioreactor, where they are supplied with a nutrient solution to grow. The nutrient solution often includes blood lost from fetal calves. Many skeptics refer to the cultured meat as "Frankenstein meat".

So far, the costs are high. The first hamburger made from cultured meat is estimated to have cost over SEK 2.7 million. The development of the "Frankenstein meat" is financed by, among others, the actor Leonardo di Caprio and the Google founder Sergey Brin.

- When production is scaled up, I think that we will quite quickly end up at the same price level as regular meat, says Mark Post, researcher and pioneer in meat farming.

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Marketed as climate smart
The companies that invest in cultured meat claim that it is better for the climate with lab-grown meat instead of natural. In addition, they believe that the risk of diseases should be less. Whether the benefits are real or just marketing is yet to be determined. Public research in the area is severely limited.

One of those who did a study on the environmental impact of farmed meat is Hanna Tuomisto, docent in sustainable food systems at the University of Helsinki. According to her, it is not even certain that it is possible to grow meat on a large scale, therefore it is doubtful whether "Frankenstein meat" will have any climate impact at all, she claims.

- Now we only have some chicken nuggets that came a few years ago. I'm getting a little skeptical or maybe pessimistic, she says, but adds that if the technology works, it has enormous potential.

READ ALSO: Children must be trained to eat waste and insects - "climate smart"

The EU decides whether Swedes should eat farmed meat
As the first country in the world, Singapore approved the sale of meat produced in bioreactors, just over two years ago. The Guardian described it as a milestone for the meat industry and believes the approval will increase the acceptance of farmed meat worldwide.

An Indian-American company has also started growing milk in laboratories. It is produced using microorganisms and DNA to develop whey protein. The liquid is already used in a number of products on the American market, writes GP .

The EU decides whether the products are to be served in Sweden. According to Astrid Walles-Granberg, advisor at the Swedish Food Agency, the first application is expected to be submitted already in the autumn. After that, the European Food Safety Authority, EFSA, will investigate the safety of the product, the member states will vote and the Commission will make the final decision. The process is expected to take at least a year and a half.