Dear Editor,
As avian flu runs rampant through American cattle, now is the time for our political leaders to support increased public funding for cultivated-meat research. For those who don’t know, cultivated-meat is grown from animal cells, without slaughter. Since livestock are removed from the process, the risk of zoonotic viruses making the jump to humans is reduced.
Despite admirable progress by the private sector, technological hurdles remain in order for the new protein to be mass-produced at an affordable price. These can be overcome with government money for cellular-agriculture development. Politicians who care about public health, not to mention the environment and animal welfare, should back the effort.
Jon Hochschartner
Connecticut
