Letter to the editor: Lab-grown meat IS real meat

To the editor:

Sun Chronicle columnist Bob Bamberg raises important questions in his recent column (“Should lab-grown meat be called meat?” Pet Day, Oct. 1).

In short, yes, meat grown from animal cells should be called ‘meat’ since that’s exactly what it is. These meats, not yet commercialized but getting closer, aren’t an alternative to meat any more than ice produced in your freezer is an alternative to ice formed in Walden Pond. They’re both just ice, just as this kind of meat (often called clean meat) is just meat.

In fact, it’s critical that this be called ‘meat’ not only for accuracy’s sake, but people allergic to fish or other meats will also be allergic to these clean meats since they’re actually meat, too. Entrepreneurs are pursuing clean meat since it’s a way to produce real meat with far fewer resources, fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and less harm to animals. In other words, clean meat is a way to have our meat and eat it, too.

Paul Shapiro

Sacramento, Calif.

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