Seeks slaughter free meat

Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell can help create a slaughter-free America, with all the good that entails, by increasing federal funding for cultivated-meat research. For readers who are unfamiliar with the term, cultivated meat is grown from cells, without killing. This new protein will reduce animal suffering, pandemic risk, and greenhouse-gas emissions.

In a sign of progress, the world’s biggest meat company, JBS, recently purchased a cellular-agriculture firm, BioTech Foods. The deal includes $41 million to build a factory capable of producing 1,000 tons of cultivated meat every year. According to Elliot Swartz of the Good Food Institute, this would be 5-10 times the capacity of similar facilities that have been announced.

Still, more public investment in cultivated-meat research is needed for the technology to reach its potential. This will help address significant challenges, such as achieving price parity with slaughtered meat and developing whole-cut products, like steaks and filets. If our legislators have the will, we can move toward a slaughter-free America that’s better for our fellow creatures, our health and the planet.