An Israeli company will soon be producing a vegan cow’s milk from the laboratory
It is amazing what things are possible with today’s research technologies. In Singapore there is now chicken meat from the laboratory, an animal was not harmed by eating the nuggets. This could avoid a lot of suffering in the future, but it could also save a lot of emissions. But why does the meat have to end?
Researchers from Israel thought so too. They now want to produce milk with their own company, Remilk, and there is no cow in the whole process. But how do you actually produce milk of the same quality? And does it even make sense to now also produce milk “in the laboratory”?
Let’s start with the manufacturing process: Remilk uses a process called microbial fermentation. Milk proteins are produced by microbes inside a tank. The whole thing then happens until “real” milk is produced. After two to three days, hundreds or even thousands of liters will be produced. The microbes only need one type of food for this: sugar! In the future, however, these should be fed with agricultural waste and thus contribute to environmental protection.
The only question left is what makes sense. The manufacturer emphasizes that the process saves costs and minimizes greenhouse gas emissions. Cows are no longer bought, occupy less space and do not produce methane (we will deal with that tomorrow). Furthermore, less water is used.
On the other hand, there are many farmers who are already receiving far too little money for their milk. This is already far too cheap, which is due to the huge supply within the EU. If milk from the laboratory is added, many farms could shut down. Normal farmers simply cannot offer an equivalent product that is vegan at the same time.
Own opinion:
The problem is not with the new type of milk, but with our attitude towards food. Milk that can be produced in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner is not a bad idea and is ideal for the future. Nevertheless, a kind of “milk price control” would be needed (as is already the case with books today) so that farmers can remain competitive in the future and animal welfare and not costs count.
via Digital trends
