In Vitro Meat Soon To Be Served?
Director: Véronique Préault, Color, 52 minutes, France, 2013, English
The idea of creating meat in a factory without the need for slaughtering animals is not new. The discovery of stem cells in the 1980’s opened the way for fresh perspectives on cellular engineering. Mark Post’s scientific team in the Netherlands has made the most progress and is set to reveal the first hamburger with an entirely in vitro beefsteak very soon. In the USA, a start-up company is also developing an artificial piece of meat using “bio-printing”, a technique that is found in medicine. The two teams are carrying out their research thanks to wealthy sponsors. However, public research is also underway as the technique may one day provide food for the entire globe. It would also eliminate the harmful environmental effects of livestock farming. But are these arguments strong enough to convince consumers to eat test-tube meat? The commercial success of the first substitute meat products on the market are perhaps an indication of how eating habits are evolving. However, some are encouraging consumers to turn to an entirely different source of protein. Something that is already well-known and readily available in its natural form: insects.
Special thanks go to Andreas Klempin, Goethe-Institut Bangkok and Klara Räthel, without whose work this series would not have been possible.
The film is part of our series TAKE THE GREEN LINE, inspired by solarise: a sea of all colors is Luftwerk’s site-specific response to the Garfield Park Conservatory’s historic structure and natural collection.
The film program is a cooperation with the Science Film Festival, an initiative by the Goethe-Institut in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa that reaches over 750,000 visitors in 16 countries annually.
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