talking about meat - python patties and bogus burgers

[Ken Gargett]

couple of recent articles. 

i have eaten snake and yes, it tastes like chicken. i would have thought the Burmese python problem in florida might make it worth a thought but given the second piece, i suspect not.

whatever your thoughts on ''alternative'' meats, and i don't care if that is all you eat or if you would not touch the stuff, making it criminal? given that it will play a significant role in the future, why would you do this? no one has to eat it but why not the choice? sure, support local industries but it is beyond me.

i see that one of the opponents pointed out that it was an affront to creation, so perhaps that is a clue. in that case, you'd have more chance of pointing out the sense of it to a rock. or even a rock python. 

Pythons instead of Chianine: according to scientists, it's a possible alternative

Mar 14 2024, 14:56

IN THE FUTURE, REPLACING MEAT, ACCORDING TO A NEW STUDY PUBLISHED IN THE JOURNAL SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, COULD BE PYTHONS

By Simona Sirianni

Regardless of one's position, the impact of intensive farming on the environment due to emissions from each structure where animals are kept, among other factors, is undeniable. How to solve the problem is a constantly debated issue, also because opinions could not be more different: there are breeders who advocate for its benefits and breeders who, instead, have chosen a path more inspired by ecological issues. There are animal rights activists, who prioritize the ethical issue of suffering inflicted on sentient living beings. And there is science, which deems synthetic meat as exceptional instead of steak.

Pythons instead of Chianine?

Among the various theses, there are also some new researches recently published in the journal Scientific Reports that suggest a new solution: the breeding of pythons as a practical alternative to conventional livestock farming, especially in those regions of the world where the climate crisis, pandemics, and extreme land use are threatening food production. Leading the studies on some farms of this species of snakes in Thailand and Vietnam and explaining that "based on some of the most important sustainability criteria, pythons are superior to all traditionally farmed and studied species so far," was Dr. Daniel Natusch, a researcher and President of the IUCN Reptile Specialist Group, the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Sustainable alternative snakes

What would these parameters be, it is soon said: essentially, pythons generate fewer greenhouse gases, require less water than warm-blooded animals, are more resistant to extreme weather conditions, and do not transmit dangerous diseases, such as avian influenza or COVID-19. Not to mention that in addition, reptiles have proven to be a more efficient source of protein compared to poultry, pigs, cattle, and salmon. In short, for the Australian professor, the python would be the perfect solution to end all the problems caused by intensive farming.

The need for protein is growing

With perhaps too much enthusiasm, Natusch makes some considerations that should be taken into account: according to the professor, in fact, if there is still little talk about the benefits that would be obtained by replacing the classic Chianina with snake meat, it is not because there are none, but rather because the conventional system tends to still defend intensive farming. A real shame, especially considering the food shortage that continues to compromise the health of millions of children in the poorest regions of the world and where the need for high-quality proteins is skyrocketing.

Just think about the cattle that collapse in the fields due to unprecedented droughts that have hit Africa and at the same time think about how reptiles could represent a turning point for livestock by being able to regulate their own metabolic processes and maintain the body in good condition even during the worst famines.
"Some of the pythons in our study stopped eating for four months - 45% of their existence - with no repercussions on their physical condition," recounted the co-author of the document, Dr. Patrick Aust, an ecologist living in Africa, adding "let's try to imagine not feeding a chicken for four months: after four or five days, it would already be dead."

A reptile in exchange for a roast

Natusch and Aust have few doubts and are convinced of the results of their research and that pythons could really mean a breakthrough for more sustainable meat production. On the other hand, they argue, with the worsening of global food security due to climate change and the agricultural sector that will suffer from the spread of infectious diseases and the decrease in natural resources, there is no doubt that reptiles will become a compulsory alternative at that point.

It is difficult to say how many people would be tempted to give up a tasty roast to eat snake meat. Let's say that with insect flour, we are not doing very well. Consumers' curiosity is there, but there is also a sort of disgust for a product that, if in other cultures is already sometimes considered a valuable food, in the West struggles to obtain the same approval. It is true, however, that if the most frequent reaction to new foods such as insects is the rejection of their use, among Michelin-starred chefs or not, there are those who are more open-minded and at least open to experimenting with new dishes: among them is chef Loris Caporizzi, who is also an expert in entomophagy, who has long been proposing dishes based on insects, believing that "identifying alternative food sources is no longer a choice, but it is now a necessity."

A completely opposite position is that of chef Enrico Derflingher, since 2014 Ambassador of Italian Cuisine, according to whom the rejection is essentially due to a cultural issue: without, in fact, disdaining at all to eat snakes, bees, crickets, or other insects, also tasted around the world, Derflingher has clearly stated that such animals "will not enter his kitchen." And not because of their bad taste, but because they have nothing to do with our history, cuisine, and tradition.

 

 

Florida Is on Its Way to Banning — and Criminalizing — Alternative Meat

"We're not going to have fake meat. Like that doesn't work," Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

By Stacey Leasca 

 

Updated on March 15, 2024

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Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to keep lab-grown meat out of Florida. 

Over the last several months, Florida legislators have been quietly working to ban — and criminalize — the production and sale of cell-cultivated meat across the state, via the introduction of two bills, HB 1071 and SB 1084. On February 6, the state's House of Representatives passed SB 1084, which now sits on DeSantis' desk awaiting a signature. And if his previous comments are any indication, he will be pulling out his pen soon. 

"I know the Legislature is doing a bill to try to protect our meat," DeSantis said in February while visiting the South Florida State College Hardee Campus, according to CBS. "You need meat, OK. And we're going to have meat in Florida." DeSantis added, "We're not going to have fake meat. Like that doesn't work."

Cell-cultivated meat, to be clear, differs from traditional veggie burgers and meat alternatives like Impossible Burgers. As the Congressional Research Service (CRS) defines, 

What Longtime Vegetarians Think About the Plant-Based Meat Boom

Cell-cultivated meat "is developed in a lab, grown from a sample of animal cells that does not require the slaughter of animals." In other words, it's actually meat. The development of cell-cultivated meat, the CRS explained, happens in five steps: the biopsy of animal cells, cell banking, cell growth, harvesting, and food processing. It's an industry that has heavy oversight in the U.S. by both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). 

As the CRS noted, there are about 150 companies around the world involved in the cell-cultivated meat industry, 43 of which are based in the U.S. Of those 43, just two companies, Good Meat and Upside Food, have FDA approval in the U.S. While it's still a relatively small industry, it's one with major financial backing. According to the CRS, some $3 billion has been invested in its growth via private capital, and an additional $5 million has been issued via the National Science Foundation in research grants, along with an additional $12 million in grants by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Even still, all this funding and research isn't enough for some Florida lawmakers. 

"As of today, the unknowns are so great,"  House bill sponsor Danny Alvarez, a Republican representative from Hillsborough County, shared during a meeting of the House Regulatory Reform & Economic Development Subcommittee, CBS reported. "There are no long-term studies." 

If the "unknowns" feel a little too simple for you, it's probably because it is. 

25 Vegan Recipes to Put on Repeat

Florida state Rep. Tyler Sirois, the Republican who introduced a similar bill, HB 1071, told Politico that his major motivation is protecting the cattle industry. “Farming and cattle are incredibly important industries to Florida,” Sirois stated, adding, "So I think this is a very relevant discussion for our state to have.” He did make sure to slip in that he considers cell-cultivated meat an “affront to nature and creation.”

“I think it raises important ethical concerns about the limitations and boundaries we should place on this type of science,” Sirois added. “I think you could see a very slippery slope here leading to things like cloning, which are very troubling to me.”

Mother Nature may disagree on the "affront" part, at least according to Josh Tetrick, co-founder and chief executive of Eat Just, which operates Good Meat.

“Instead of all of that land and all of that water that’s used to feed all of these animals that are slaughtered, we can do it in a different way,” said Josh Tetrick, co-founder and chief executive of Eat Just, which owns Good Meat, shared with the Associated Press following its FDA approval. 

How a Vegan Doughnut Coverup Outraged the Internet

Florida, however, isn't alone in its pursuit to block the production and sale of this type of meat. As Fast Company reported, Tennessee is considering a similar bill that would impose a $1 million fine for selling cultivated meat. Alabama also passed a bill to ban the sale and manufacturing of it, making it a Class C felony. This means that if you're caught selling cell-cultivated meat there, you could wind up in prison for up to 10 years. And, as Food Dive reported, Texas also implemented legislation around how cultivated meat can be labeled and marketed. 

All this legislation won't kill the industry; it will just move it offshore. According to Fast Company, both South Korea and Israel have favorable laws toward cultivated meat, while the Netherlands (where the first cell-cultivated meat was developed in 2013) has pledged $65 million to the industry. China even named cultivated meat as part of its five-year plan for national food security, giving other nations the proverbial first — and likely biggest — bite out of an industry that's projected to own as much as 35% of the meat market by 2040.

 

[Fuzz]

[Ford2112]

For vegetarian options there is the impossible python!

[helix]

F**ck snakes. 😬

[Drguano]

[Chas.Alpha]

I went over to the North Carolina State Fair last year and one of the new food tent items was “Cajun Rattlesnake” on a stick.

Tasted like chicken.

[cigcars]

On 3/23/2024 at 7:50 PM, Ken Gargett said:

couple of recent articles. 

i have eaten snake and yes, it tastes like chicken. i would have thought the Burmese python problem in florida might make it worth a thought but given the second piece, i suspect not.

whatever your thoughts on ''alternative'' meats, and i don't care if that is all you eat or if you would not touch the stuff, making it criminal? given that it will play a significant role in the future, why would you do this? no one has to eat it but why not the choice? sure, support local industries but it is beyond me.

i see that one of the opponents pointed out that it was an affront to creation, so perhaps that is a clue. in that case, you'd have more chance of pointing out the sense of it to a rock. or even a rock python. 

Pythons instead of Chianine: according to scientists, it's a possible alternative

Mar 14 2024, 14:56

 

IN THE FUTURE, REPLACING MEAT, ACCORDING TO A NEW STUDY PUBLISHED IN THE JOURNAL SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, COULD BE PYTHONS

By Simona Sirianni

Regardless of one's position, the impact of intensive farming on the environment due to emissions from each structure where animals are kept, among other factors, is undeniable. How to solve the problem is a constantly debated issue, also because opinions could not be more different: there are breeders who advocate for its benefits and breeders who, instead, have chosen a path more inspired by ecological issues. There are animal rights activists, who prioritize the ethical issue of suffering inflicted on sentient living beings. And there is science, which deems synthetic meat as exceptional instead of steak.

Pythons instead of Chianine?

Among the various theses, there are also some new researches recently published in the journal Scientific Reports that suggest a new solution: the breeding of pythons as a practical alternative to conventional livestock farming, especially in those regions of the world where the climate crisis, pandemics, and extreme land use are threatening food production. Leading the studies on some farms of this species of snakes in Thailand and Vietnam and explaining that "based on some of the most important sustainability criteria, pythons are superior to all traditionally farmed and studied species so far," was Dr. Daniel Natusch, a researcher and President of the IUCN Reptile Specialist Group, the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Sustainable alternative snakes

What would these parameters be, it is soon said: essentially, pythons generate fewer greenhouse gases, require less water than warm-blooded animals, are more resistant to extreme weather conditions, and do not transmit dangerous diseases, such as avian influenza or COVID-19. Not to mention that in addition, reptiles have proven to be a more efficient source of protein compared to poultry, pigs, cattle, and salmon. In short, for the Australian professor, the python would be the perfect solution to end all the problems caused by intensive farming.

The need for protein is growing

With perhaps too much enthusiasm, Natusch makes some considerations that should be taken into account: according to the professor, in fact, if there is still little talk about the benefits that would be obtained by replacing the classic Chianina with snake meat, it is not because there are none, but rather because the conventional system tends to still defend intensive farming. A real shame, especially considering the food shortage that continues to compromise the health of millions of children in the poorest regions of the world and where the need for high-quality proteins is skyrocketing.

Just think about the cattle that collapse in the fields due to unprecedented droughts that have hit Africa and at the same time think about how reptiles could represent a turning point for livestock by being able to regulate their own metabolic processes and maintain the body in good condition even during the worst famines.
"Some of the pythons in our study stopped eating for four months - 45% of their existence - with no repercussions on their physical condition," recounted the co-author of the document, Dr. Patrick Aust, an ecologist living in Africa, adding "let's try to imagine not feeding a chicken for four months: after four or five days, it would already be dead."

 

A reptile in exchange for a roast

Natusch and Aust have few doubts and are convinced of the results of their research and that pythons could really mean a breakthrough for more sustainable meat production. On the other hand, they argue, with the worsening of global food security due to climate change and the agricultural sector that will suffer from the spread of infectious diseases and the decrease in natural resources, there is no doubt that reptiles will become a compulsory alternative at that point.

It is difficult to say how many people would be tempted to give up a tasty roast to eat snake meat. Let's say that with insect flour, we are not doing very well. Consumers' curiosity is there, but there is also a sort of disgust for a product that, if in other cultures is already sometimes considered a valuable food, in the West struggles to obtain the same approval. It is true, however, that if the most frequent reaction to new foods such as insects is the rejection of their use, among Michelin-starred chefs or not, there are those who are more open-minded and at least open to experimenting with new dishes: among them is chef Loris Caporizzi, who is also an expert in entomophagy, who has long been proposing dishes based on insects, believing that "identifying alternative food sources is no longer a choice, but it is now a necessity."

A completely opposite position is that of chef Enrico Derflingher, since 2014 Ambassador of Italian Cuisine, according to whom the rejection is essentially due to a cultural issue: without, in fact, disdaining at all to eat snakes, bees, crickets, or other insects, also tasted around the world, Derflingher has clearly stated that such animals "will not enter his kitchen." And not because of their bad taste, but because they have nothing to do with our history, cuisine, and tradition.

 

 

Florida Is on Its Way to Banning — and Criminalizing — Alternative Meat

"We're not going to have fake meat. Like that doesn't work," Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

By Stacey Leasca 

 

Updated on March 15, 2024

•  
•  
•  
•  
•  

Trending Videos

Close this video player

0 seconds of 29 secondsVolume 0%

This ad will end in 23

 

 

PHOTO: 

UPSIDE FOODS

Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to keep lab-grown meat out of Florida. 

Over the last several months, Florida legislators have been quietly working to ban — and criminalize — the production and sale of cell-cultivated meat across the state, via the introduction of two bills, HB 1071 and SB 1084. On February 6, the state's House of Representatives passed SB 1084, which now sits on DeSantis' desk awaiting a signature. And if his previous comments are any indication, he will be pulling out his pen soon. 

"I know the Legislature is doing a bill to try to protect our meat," DeSantis said in February while visiting the South Florida State College Hardee Campus, according to CBS. "You need meat, OK. And we're going to have meat in Florida." DeSantis added, "We're not going to have fake meat. Like that doesn't work."

Cell-cultivated meat, to be clear, differs from traditional veggie burgers and meat alternatives like Impossible Burgers. As the Congressional Research Service (CRS) defines, 

What Longtime Vegetarians Think About the Plant-Based Meat Boom

Cell-cultivated meat "is developed in a lab, grown from a sample of animal cells that does not require the slaughter of animals." In other words, it's actually meat. The development of cell-cultivated meat, the CRS explained, happens in five steps: the biopsy of animal cells, cell banking, cell growth, harvesting, and food processing. It's an industry that has heavy oversight in the U.S. by both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). 

As the CRS noted, there are about 150 companies around the world involved in the cell-cultivated meat industry, 43 of which are based in the U.S. Of those 43, just two companies, Good Meat and Upside Food, have FDA approval in the U.S. While it's still a relatively small industry, it's one with major financial backing. According to the CRS, some $3 billion has been invested in its growth via private capital, and an additional $5 million has been issued via the National Science Foundation in research grants, along with an additional $12 million in grants by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Even still, all this funding and research isn't enough for some Florida lawmakers. 

"As of today, the unknowns are so great,"  House bill sponsor Danny Alvarez, a Republican representative from Hillsborough County, shared during a meeting of the House Regulatory Reform & Economic Development Subcommittee, CBS reported. "There are no long-term studies." 

If the "unknowns" feel a little too simple for you, it's probably because it is. 

25 Vegan Recipes to Put on Repeat

Florida state Rep. Tyler Sirois, the Republican who introduced a similar bill, HB 1071, told Politico that his major motivation is protecting the cattle industry. “Farming and cattle are incredibly important industries to Florida,” Sirois stated, adding, "So I think this is a very relevant discussion for our state to have.” He did make sure to slip in that he considers cell-cultivated meat an “affront to nature and creation.”

“I think it raises important ethical concerns about the limitations and boundaries we should place on this type of science,” Sirois added. “I think you could see a very slippery slope here leading to things like cloning, which are very troubling to me.”

Mother Nature may disagree on the "affront" part, at least according to Josh Tetrick, co-founder and chief executive of Eat Just, which operates Good Meat.

“Instead of all of that land and all of that water that’s used to feed all of these animals that are slaughtered, we can do it in a different way,” said Josh Tetrick, co-founder and chief executive of Eat Just, which owns Good Meat, shared with the Associated Press following its FDA approval. 

How a Vegan Doughnut Coverup Outraged the Internet

Florida, however, isn't alone in its pursuit to block the production and sale of this type of meat. As Fast Company reported, Tennessee is considering a similar bill that would impose a $1 million fine for selling cultivated meat. Alabama also passed a bill to ban the sale and manufacturing of it, making it a Class C felony. This means that if you're caught selling cell-cultivated meat there, you could wind up in prison for up to 10 years. And, as Food Dive reported, Texas also implemented legislation around how cultivated meat can be labeled and marketed. 

All this legislation won't kill the industry; it will just move it offshore. According to Fast Company, both South Korea and Israel have favorable laws toward cultivated meat, while the Netherlands (where the first cell-cultivated meat was developed in 2013) has pledged $65 million to the industry. China even named cultivated meat as part of its five-year plan for national food security, giving other nations the proverbial first — and likely biggest — bite out of an industry that's projected to own as much as 35% of the meat market by 2040.

 

     * H-E-E-E-Y-Y!! Tastes like chicken!  

[bmac]

The mention of meat gets em every time.

[CaptainQuintero]

I have had one plant based burger a few years ago that was genuinely delicious, tasted no different to a real one, in fact I would have said it was a brilliant meat one if no one had said. Thick and juicy, tasted like rump mince, it even had some kind of beetroot juice in so it looked pink inside, certainly better than a budget meat burger.

No idea what was inside it beyond the beetroot juice, I'm guessing a pretty hefty concoction of various things. Probably would rather that than a lab grown meat tbh.