The longer version of the title of the book by Paul Shapiro is CLEAN MEAT; How Growing Meat Without Animals Will Revolutionize Dinner and the World.

It published Jan. 2, 2018, about the time Shapiro left the Humane Society of the United States amid allegations by many women of sexual harassment.

Nothing has been proven, so I won’t repeat any of the quotes from POLITICO that you can find by googling, but I find it somewhat confusing how a man who spent his adult years championing animal rights would not champion female rights.

But to the book.

First of all I did not buy it, just borrowed from the Windsor, Co., public library. No royalties going to Shapiro or the HSUS.

Secondly, I had a pretty good idea about some of what I would read, but must admit some parts of the book did interest me and I think have merit.

Thirdly, to cast a long shadow on the integrity of the book, Shapiro says early that the AMA asked for a ban on antibiotics to promote animal growth by saying “due to the ag and pharma lobby interests, the doctors’ call so far has fallen on deaf federal ears.”

In 2018 that is water under the bridge and he knows it.

He came up with the title CLEAN MEAT because supposedly this product will come from cells from animal muscle without the risk of Salmonella or E coli contamination from an intestinal tract.

So from a food safety standpoint I think that is a positive sound bite.

We are doing single cell cultures in human medicine, why not in the meat arena?

Once the funding is secured and the science enhanced, we could be feeding the soon to be 9 billion residents of the earth proteins without the environmental impact of raising more animals. I do not really see a viable solution using current methods as India and China demand more protein and less rice.

The weather extremes we witnessed in 2017 will probably only get worse, and that is not good for agriculture’s future; clean meat would not be affected unless a tornado blew down the plant.

But I wonder how those against GMOs are going to view this product?

And I wonder how long before the pricing is viable for human budgets.

I know the concept seems far-fetched, but remember that many people once embraced slavery, cars were only a dream for most people 100 years ago, and Kodak used to be synonymous with cameras, but digital photography moved in and Kodak stagnated.

Some of you will remember dialing zero and asking the operator to connect you to another line.

My grandson asked me if I was old enough to remember when cell phones did not take pictures.

Things change, and Tyson Foods and Cargill evidently see the potential in this technology and are climbing on board and investing money.

Cellular growth vs. conventional growth.

And before readers think I have drifted over to the other side, I enjoyed a medium rare rib eye at Sonny Lubick’s steak house last night in Old Town, Fort Collins, and my wife a medium rare filet. I doubt Clean Meat will replace those items in my life time.

Now for its use in chicken nuggets and salami?

Maybe.

Clean Meat

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