Introducing the cruelty free meatball

Liz Marshall's new film Meat the Future focuses on a new way of producing meat -- one where the animal doesn't have to be killed. Instead, cells are taken from a living animal and meat is produced from those cells.

The possibility presents a brave new world of animal agriculture, a world where we can still eat meat without participating in the harm and suffering that is rampant in the current industrial animal husbandry model. While more and more people are deciding that a vegetarian diet is the way to go, meat consumption continues to grow. Is cell-based meat a compromise that can reduce the environmental costs of a diet that contains meat? The film also explores the environmental costs of our meat-based diet and presents a way forward.

The central character in the film is cardiologist Dr. Uma Valeti, the co-founder and CEO of start-up company Memphis Meats. The industry, and his company is so new that none of its products are on grocery store shelves yet.

Documentary writer, producer and director Liz Marshall believes that Dr. Valetti is on the right track. "What the future holds for cell-based meat is unclear," says Marshall, "but I believe its revolutionary promise and historic journey into the world will stand the test of time."

She talks to rabble radio host and producer Victoria Fenner in this edition of rabble.ca's series Climate hope in the time of pandemic.

You can see the documentary for yourself on the CBC website. It's posted as part of the Hot Docs@Home collection.

Image: Thainafreitas/Pixabay