To the Editor,
In a letter to the editor on Dec. 21, 2022, Jon Hochschartner of Granby, Conn., the author of a number of books on animal-rights history, pleaded his case for “cultivated meat,” i.e. meat created in a laboratory. He links “cultivated meat” to promoting animal welfare because it’s “grown from livestock cells, without slaughter.” Then he urges legislative action in Washington, because “it has the potential to do so much good.” The “good” is that animals are not slaughtered, he says.
Here’s another viewpoint: What is called “cultivated meat” cannot be defined as food. It’s an amalgam of genetically engineered cells that may look like food. But these cells are conjured up with chemicals and derivatives of real food—such as citric acid, monosodium glutamate (aka natural flavors), dextrose, and a many other sugars and words you cannot pronounce. In the long run—let’s say decades—this onslaught of unknowns causes serious harm to all body systems.
The human body requires sustenance from plants and animals grown in soil as well as in the sun and rain. There is simply no substitute.
Regarding animal welfare, here’s what individuals can do: purchase humanely produced meat—free-range chickens, pasture-grazed beef, lamb, pork—from your local farmer and be thankful for the animals’ service to humans. Even in suburban Connecticut there are local farmers who’d love to sell you their produce.
For more information about real food, farming, and the healing arts, check out the Weston A. Price Foundation, its educational information, and local chapters at www.westonaprice.org.
Betsy Thomason,
Co-Leader of West River/ West Townshend chapter of the Weston A. Price Foundation
West Townshend, Vt.