[extropy-chat] GM Food [was: World map of human ES cell andnuclear transfer policies]

[Brent Neal]

 (12/10/05 9:19) Acy Stapp <acy.stapp at gmail.com> wrote:

>Humans haven't been biologically adapted to vegetarianism for two
>million years, since homo habilis and homo erectus. Our body is unable
>to produce several vitamins in adequate usable quantities, most
>importantly B-12 and D, which must come from animal foods or from
>supplementation.

Interestingly, most vegetarians of my acquaintance no longer make the biological argument for vegetarianism anymore. I remember that argument was the 'big thing' when I was in college.


>I will grant that most Americans do eat more meat than is necessary to
>maintain their health, and the fat profile of factory-farmed meat is
>quite unhealthy, with far too much saturated fat. I personally try to
>eat free-range meat and shellfish in preference to factory-farmed
>meat. I'm not sure how the energy balance comes out between more
>factory-farmed meat and less free-range meat.
>

I don't know about the energy balance either, but more than just the fat profile, I find free range and organically raised meat (and especially eggs) to be far tastier as well.  With the eggs, I've discovered that the difference is simply visible - when I crack a factory farm raised egg and a free range egg into a bowl, the white of the free range egg is thick enough to support the weight of the yolk. In the factory farm egg, the yolk not only sinks to the bottom, but also lacks the rich yellow color of the free range egg.

Now, it seems pretty obvious to me that factory farming produces more calories per hectare of land use than free range farming (correct me if I'm wrong).  The opportunity for companies that I see is to find out ways to engineer supplements and genetic therapies that allow the quality of meat and eggs raised in factory farms to be improved. This way, we might be able to have our cake (meat cake?) and eat it too.

B

-- 
Brent Neal
Geek of all Trades
http://brentn.freeshell.org

"Specialization is for insects" -- Robert A. Heinlein