Facon

A few weeks ago, Ian and I were speculating about the ethics of laboratory-grown/in vitro meat. We wondered if, as a vegetarian and as a Muslim, whether the consumption of in-vitro meat violated our ethics and beliefs – given that ‘no animal was harmed in the production of this meal’.

Ian felt his vegetarianism would not be compromised by eating in-vitro meat, however, I my position is less clear…

• The principles of Kosher and Halal help a believer to appreciate the taking of a life – does artifical meat render this obsolete?
• Pork is considered ‘unclean’ by both Muslims and Jews – would artificial pork (Facon?) be considered ‘clean’ or should the spirit of Halal and Kosher be honored regardless of the means of production?

Yesterday Schulze & Webb posted some thoughts on the industrial future of lab-grown meat, drawn from what appears to be a fascinating collaboration with the RCA. It’ll be interesting to see how ethical and cultural issues take shape as this technology progresses… would you eat artifically grown human meat?

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Coincidentally, I had my first experience of bacon at San Francisco’s famous David’s Deli last Monday. David’s serves kosher food (compatible with Halal) and my order was for beef bacon 🙂

UPDATE: US to approve cloned meat!