Quinnipiac University Polling Institute

Quinnipiac University Polling Institute

Quinnipiac University Polling Institute

In December 1931 the future prime minister of England, Winston Churchill wrote an article for Strand Magazine in which he claimed that one day people will “escape the absurdity of growing a whole chicken in order to eat the breast or wing, by growing these parts separately under a suitable medium”.

According to authors William and Lynette Ray, Churchill's comment was the 73rd most entertaining prediction about life in the 21st century. However, unlike other predictions that they cover in their work that never came to pass, mass production of meat grown separately from the animal may become a reality in the near future.

Recently the head of the department of vascular physiology at Maastricht University in the Netherlands, Professor Mark Post, made international headlines, by receiving funding from a philanthropic organization to create a hamburger in a laboratory within the next year. Known as “in vitro” or “cultured” meat, lab produced meat has many supporters due to potential heath and environmental benefits.