This video describes the history of meat production, plant-based meat alternatives, and lab-grown meat, providing a comparison of lab-grown meat to farmed meat from an environmental standpoint.
Students will be given a thorough look at the many issues surrounding lab-grown meat including cost, taste, safety, regulations, and timelines for commercial availability.
Teaching Tips
Positives
This resource highlights the companies that are leading the race to produce lab-grown meat and some of the top companies making plant-based meat alternatives.
Students will learn about the key ingredients in lab-grown meat, production methods, and innovative approaches such as cellular agriculture.
Additional Prerequisites
This video has commercials before and during the video and sponsored content within the video.
For students who are just learning about meat alternatives, it may be helpful to give a basic overview of the concept including plant-based meat versus lab-grown meat. The video does not compare these two, but plant-based options are likely more environmentally friendly.
Differentiation
Since this video addresses many different aspects of the topic, a graphic organizer while viewing might help students organize new ideas such as cost, methods, safety, health, or environmental implications.
Topics for a group discussion might include "How does lab-grown meat compare to traditional farmed meat with regard to sustainability and resource use?" or "How does plant-based meat compare to lab-grown meat?"
Students could be encouraged to take a deeper look at why meat consumption has so many consequences and could research the topic using this interactive data resource about the impacts of food production or this carbon calculator and interactive slideshow about the impacts of diet on the planet and our health.
Other resources on this topic include this TED video exploring the benefits of lab grown meat and this animated video which encourages the consumption of plant-based diets.
Scientist Notes
The video describes using innovation and technology to transform the meat industry and to reduce carbon footprints. The technology from Mosa meat factory can effectively improve human health and nutrition while limiting CO2 levels from meat production. This resource is insightful and recommended for teaching.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
HS-ESS3-4 Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems.
ETS1: Engineering Design
HS-ETS1-1 Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for solutions that account for societal needs and wants.
College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards
Dimension 2: Economics
D2.Eco.13.9-12 Explain why advancements in technology and investments in capital goods and human capital increase economic growth and standards of living.
Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
Speaking & Listening (K-12)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.3 Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used.
Common Core Math Standards (CCSS.MATH)
Statistics & Probability: Using Probability to Make Decisions (9-12)
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSS.MD.B.7 Analyze decisions and strategies using probability concepts (e.g., product testing, medical testing, pulling a hockey goalie at the end of a game).
