Headlines - Lesson 1 - Designer Beef

Knowledge on the Deeper Side

Headlines - Lesson 1 Designer Beef: Is Lab Grown Meat Kosher? On August 5, 2013, a press conference held in London introduced the world’s first “test tube hamburger,” a burger manufactured from the stem cells of a living animal. A group of scientists from the Netherlands took stem cells from a cow’s muscle tissue and added nutrients and chemicals that caused the cells to rapidly multiply. Eventually, there was enough muscle tissue to produce a piece of meat. Many groups around the world are encouraging this "clean meat" process as a way to increase the world’s meat supply without depleting natural resources. Animal rights activists are supporting this endeavor because it produces more meat without killing more animals. Researchers say that it will take at least a decade before the new meat-production techniques become commercially viable, but meanwhile, in anticipation of this eventuality, it behooves us to address the question: What would be the Jewish legal status of meat produced from stem cells? Is it kosher? Is it considered to be "meat," or perhaps is it "pareve"? We explore these questions and more in our first session of Headlines.