MEAT: A real solution

Dr. Ralph Maughan hits the nail on the head when he discusses the potential of clean meat (real meat grown from animal cells) to solve pressing problems. (The AP article “Animal Free Meat,” published in The Press Sunday, Dec. 16.)

The planet isn’t getting any bigger, but humanity’s footprint on it is. A major part of that footprint comes from raising livestock for food. It just takes vast amounts of land, water and oil to produce so much meat. But start-ups in the U.S. and around the world are now growing real meat without the need to raise and slaughter whole animals.

Companies like Memphis Meats, for example, are able to produce meat with a tiny fraction of the resources needed to produce it the way meat is produced today. And as someone who’s eaten their meat, I can attest that it’s just as delicious. This is why smart meat companies like Tyson and Cargill are investing in this innovation.

PAUL SHAPIRO

Sacramento, Calif.

Editor’s note: Paul Shapiro is the author of “Clean Meat: How Growing Meat Without Animals Will Revolutionize Dinner and the World.”