Rethinking stigma against GM meat

Genetic modification is an inflammatory subject. Especially when it comes to food. Crops are one thing, but the idea of eating meat from an animal that has been genetically engineered is, for some, wholly unpalatable. It’s Frankenstein food. As meat consumption rises, though, some figures believe that GM is the answer to finding a way of feeding a growing population (by 2050 it’s estimated that there will be another 2.5 billion people on the planet), fighting disease and improving sustainability as our agricultural industry is forced to evolve.

Naturally, there are scientists who believe this has to change. Helen Sang and Bruce Whitelaw, from Edinburgh University’s Roslin Institute (the birthplace of Dolly the sheep), are two of them, and are opening up a dialogue on the subject at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this month as part of Beltane Network’s Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas. Their mission statement?  “We’d eat GM meat, would you?”

Related on the SLP

Viewpoint: ‘Industrial food’ primer—Challenging the dangerous delusions of the alternative food movement Onto the grill: But are consumers ready to embrace—and eat—lab-grown meat?

Viewpoint: Dubious environmental fears: Why the AI buildout is critical to America’s ecological future

Vitamin D, omega-3 fish oil and glucosamine supplements could cause brain damage 

Child-monitoring apps: When the cure is worse than the harm—and how the technology could be tweaked

Read the full, original article: We need to re-evaluate our stigma towards genetically modified meat