Cell Based Meat And The Dilemma Of Being A Vegan

If the morality of an animals death is taken away, does this give one the freedom to choose a new option?

By Jamie Mah @grahammah

A few months ago, I wrote a column explaining what plant and cell based meat were. In it, I looked at this new and rapidly emerging trend/food source which has the eyes of many wondering if animal agriculture as we know it today is slowly losing its grip on our society.

It was books such as the excellent Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer which gave a voice and a closer look at the cost and gravity of how we raise and slaughter our most commonly eaten meat sources (ie. chickens, cows and pigs) that has paved the way for plant and cell based meat alternatives to emerge.

As more and more of us have looked towards eating a lower meat diet, veganism and its purveyance on most restaurant menus has taken hold of a once laughable way to eat and live. Our evolution as a society has given rise to what was once thought unthinkable — you can now find a meatless burger at a fast food chain!

Plant and cell based meat options have proven their worth. Their dominance and rise is no longer a what if but a when and in that reality we will see a shakeup of our system. For the better I can only hope.

In light of all of this, I’ve become curious about the connection of cell based meat and what veganism stands for. Google defines veganism “is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products, particularly in diet, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals.”

This statement makes sense in all practical purposes. A vegan is someone who abstains from eating animals for a whole list of reasons. Health and animal welfare are two of the most notable. But cell based meat challenges this very idea of veganism in one massive way. If one can grow a burger in a lab from the cells of a cow, this food source is “technically” not from an animal, which in turn makes it exactly what it’s meant to be, food. This therefore, begs me to ask the obvious: If cell based meat isn’t “technically” derived from a living animal, can or should a vegan be okay to eat it?

I posed this question recently to my podcast co-host and proud vegan, Mickey McLeod.

“I’d have to think about it, but maybe. Actually, I’m not sure?”

His answer, one I found understandable and completely acceptable proves the thought I have here today, that many vegans will find themselves at a crossroad once cell based meat options start becoming a more viable and accessible option. Many I’m sure will not even debate the idea, but some will and it’s here where I find this idea most interesting.

Restaurants have over the past few years started to bend over backwards to make sure vegetarian and vegan friendly options are available for their customers. Not doing so can for many a restaurateur be financial and social suicide. The concept of cell based meat might very well change how restaurants operate as its use will invariably change the “type” of meat one can serve.

For anyone who is vegan, this could give one pause and possibly a strong amount of curiosity as to a new way of eating. No longer abstaining due to moral reasons, the idea of eating a burger made from cell based meat might strike as a win for someone who’s excited to taste the flavour of actual meat.

This novelty shouldn’t be seen as weird to anyone as vegans have tried to replicate meat alternatives for decades. My friend Mickey eats vegan hot dogs all the time. With cell based meat, he may no longer have to. He can have the “real thing” if he wants, which as I’m writing here, changes the game for many.

The dilemma of being a vegan might very well change in the ensuing years. Choices will be presented which could give rise to a new industry for many involved. I’m excited and curious to see how this plays out.