In the future, people might eat a new kind of meat. It will be grown in a lab.

Lab-grown meat starts off as tiny cells that are safely taken from animals. Scientists feed the cells nutrients. The cells grow and multiply to form meat.

Challenges Ahead

The world’s population is growing. People need to be fed. Lab-grown meat may be one solution.


Regular meat production requires a lot of cows. Cows release a gas that harms the environment. They also take up land. But lab-grown meat uses fewer cows and less land. “You only need the land for the facility” where the meat is made, Elliot Swartz told TIME for Kids. He works at the Good Food Institute.

Lab-grown meat is not in stores. It costs too much money. The first lab-grown burger was made in 2013. It cost $300,000 to make! Also, the government still needs to make sure lab-grown meat is safe to eat. But one day, you may see it in your grocery store. Would you like to try lab-grown meat?

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