Scientists are cooking up a new way of satisfying the world's ever-growing hunger for meat . . . and not a single animal will be killed in the process.

Researchers at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands yesterday unveiled samples of in-vitro meat, or cultured meat, which is grown in a laboratory.

In-vitro meat is an animal flesh product that has never been part of a complete living animal, and is quite different from imitation meat or meat substitutes, which are vegetarian foods made from vegetable proteins like soy.

It may be bad news for beef farmers and chicken producers, but the new meat could save the environment and the lives of millions of animals around the world.

Irish Independent