The ethics of test-tube hamburgers

Chow down, vegans! (Larry Kobelka for The Washington Post) Scientists in the Netherlands are reportedly within months of producing the first test-tube hamburger, aiming to have one ready by this fall. Oxford University’s Julian Savulescu makes the case that vegetarians would not only be in the clear to consume such products, but would actually have an ethical obligation to do so:

Currently, carnivores vastly outnumber vegetarians. To protect the environment and reduce cruelty to animals, vegetarians argue, we should stop carnivores farming animals and eating meat. Frankenmeat is an ethical alternative...However it is hugely expensive – £220 000. But if vegetarians were to eat Frankenmeat, they would increase its market, thus driving price down. They would also show it to be a palatable, socially acceptable alternative to farmed meat. This would make it cheaper and more attractive to carnivores, driving them away from farmed meat to Frankenmeat. By doing their bit, and eating Frankenmeat, vegetarians could do more to improve the environment or the maltreatment of animals than by refusing the dish on grounds of taste.

In terms of their own values, vegetarians, even vegans, have a moral obligation not only to ensure Frankenmeat is marketed, but to consume it themselves.