Is beef or chicken better for labs

MIT Technology Review

Cultivated meat could eventually have major climate benefits, says Hanna Tuomisto, an associate professor at the University of Helsinki and the lead author of the 2011 study. Tuomisto recently published another study that also found potential climate benefits for cultivated meat. However, she adds, the industrys true climate impacts are yet to be determined. There are many, many open questions still, because not very many companies have built anything at larger scale, Tuomisto says.

Till the cows come home

Scaling up to make cultivated meat in larger production facilities is an ongoing process.

Upside Foods, one of the two companies that received the recent USDA nod, currently runs a pilot facility with a maximum capacity of about 400,000 pounds (180,000 kilograms) per year, though its current production capability is closer to 50,000 pounds. The companys first commercial facility, which its currently in the process of designing, will be much larger, with a capacity of millions of pounds per year.

"In all innovative technologies, theres an enormous learning curve."

Pelle Sinke

According to internal estimates, Upsides products should take less water and land to produce than conventional meat, said Eric Schulze, the companys VP of global scientific and regulatory affairs, in an email. However, he added, we will need to be producing at a larger scale to truly measure and start to see the impact that we want to have.

Eat Just is currently operating a demonstration plant in the US and constructing one in Singapore. Those facilities include reactors with capacities of 3,500 and 6,000 liters, respectively. Eventually, the company plans to produce millions of pounds of meat each year in a future commercial facility containing 10 reactors with a capacity of 250,000 liters each.

There are already plenty of reasons to be hopeful about the climate impacts of cultivated meat, said Andrew Noyes, VP of communications at Eat Just, in an email. However, achieving those goals is dependent on several factors tied to the optimization and scale-up of our production process, as well as the design of future large-scale manufacturing facilities.

Even though recent regulatory approvals have been celebrated as a milestone for the cultivated meat industry, these products wont be in your burger joint anytime soon. To cut their production costs, companies still need to build those larger facilities and get them running smoothly.

Part of that growth will mean turning away from the more expensive equipment and ingredients the industry has borrowed from other businesses, says Jess Krieger, founder and CEO of Ohayo Valley, a cultivated meat company: This is not how were going to be doing it in the future. The factors that led to Spangs worst-case emissions scenario, like intensive purification, expensive reactors, and pharmaceutical-grade media, arent necessary for production, she says.

5 Best Dog Foods For Labs (2024)

How to Choose the Best Dog Food for Labs

Canadas Labrador Retriever is a breed that enjoys immense popularity as a cherished family companion.

A dog that traces its roots to a fishermans assistant in the icy waters of the North Atlantic, the Labrador is a versatile and athletic dog that excels at many different pursuits.

The Lab puppies are highly intelligent, making them well-suited to many different sports including field trials, obedience, Rally, agility, scent detection, and more.

A breed that is very friendly and affectionate, the Labrador Retriever is an excellent choice for families with children with whom it is gentle and kindly disposition.

Labrador Retrievers have a lot of energy to expend, so they are best in a family that enjoys an active lifestyle. However, if kept well exercised, this dog breed will not be prone to becoming obese. Exercise is also essential for the dogs healthy joints, helping to maintain healthy joints as it ages.

A hearty eater, the Labrador Retriever will eat far past the point of satiation if free-fed. It is recommended that the best dog foods for Labrador Retrievers be measured and all intake monitored to prevent the dog from becoming overweight.

Choosing the Correct Calorie Count for Labrador Retrievers

Selecting the best dog food for a Labrador Retriever can be a daunting task. Once an owner has decided on the right diet, it is then necessary to determine how much the dog needs for each meal.

The best course of action to ascertain this is to use the suggested serving size printed on the bag as a starting point. These amounts can be adjusted until the proper amount has been found.

Labrador Retrievers can be predisposed to a condition known as bloat. Though experts do not yet know what factors must combine to result in this life-threatening medical condition, it is generally believed that eating too much and too quickly should be avoided.

The ideal diet for an adult Labrador Retriever should consist of a minimum of 18 percent protein and 5 percent fat.

Dietary Requirements for Labrador Retriever Dog Foods

Since the Labrador Retriever is a natural athlete, this dog type requires a high-performance, well-balanced diet to thrive.

The best dog foods for Labrador Retrievers base themselves on lean meat. Whole meats are the preferred option, but meat meals are also an excellent concentrated source suited to this energetic and lively breed.

Corn gluten meal is also an excellent source of protein, as well as being high in fiber.

By-products and plant-based proteins such as soy, corn, and wheat are inferior in nutritional quality and can trigger food sensitivities in some dogs. Diets that include these ingredients should be avoided.

Additionally, additives, chemicals, flavoring agents, and artificial colors offer no benefits to the Labrador Retriever. Foods containing these items are best left on the shelf.

Carbohydrates can come from fruits, vegetables, or whole grains. Dogs that have displayed food sensitivities in the past may do best on a diet that is free. Whole-grain brown rice, sweet potatoes, and oats are suitable for Labrador Retrievers.

The primary importance of any ingredient selected for a diet for the Labrador Retriever is its ease of digestibility and high antioxidant content.

Healthy fats play an important role in the Labrador Retrievers nutritional needs. It is from these ingredients that the dogs energy levels are stoked and coat and skin health are achieved and maintained.

The best sources for these ingredients are animal-based and include such items as fish meal and chicken fat. Canola and safflower oils can also boost the omega fatty acids profile of a food.

Supplements can help excellent quality puppy food to be even more effective for dogs. The ideal supplements to look for in an active Labrador Retriever are prebiotics, probiotics, glucosamine, and chondroitin.

Things to Look for in the Best Dog Food for Labs

Here is a basic list of the most important things to look for in the best dog food for a Labrador Retriever:

• Whole meat-based proteins heading up the ingredients list

The Labrador Retriever needs a diet that takes a lean, meat-based protein as its primary ingredient. Whole meats are the best option, but meat meals are also acceptable.

Among the proteins that are best avoided are soy, corn, wheat, and any meat by-product.

• Prepared without the addition of chemicals, flavorings, fillers, or mystery ingredients

Chemicals, fillers, artificial flavorings and colorings, and mystery ingredients provide no nutritional benefit to the Labrador Retriever. Foods containing these items are not suited for the needs of this breed.

• Enriched with probiotics and helpful supplements

Supplements help a diet to be its most effective. The best supplements to support the Labrador Retrievers health include prebiotics, probiotics, glucosamine, and chondroitin.

• Meets AAFCO nutritional requirements for a complete and balanced food

All foods appropriate for the Labrador Retriever should bear the AAFCO seal of approval, indicating it meets the standards for a complete and balanced food.

Whats the beef with chicken?

Theres a paradox about meat. Britains pastoral landscape is more pleasing to the eye than hedgeless expanses of wheat and oilseed rape; and it doesnt take a genius to see that cattle and sheep grazing out in the fields have a more fulfilling life than an intensive chicken cooped up indoors. Yet we are repeatedly told that beef and lamb are vastly worse for the environment than intensive chicken.

Similarly, our instinct tells us that animals grazing natural pasture are likely to produce meat that is better for our health than chickens bred exclusively for weight gain, and fed a diet of grain, soya and chemical additives they would never have encountered in the wild. Yet again, were told that white meat from chicken is healthy whereas red meat from beef and lamb will give us heart attacks, diabetes, cancer and even (its hard to believe) a low sperm count.

Adding to the relentless onslaught against beef in particular comes a paper this week from US scientists who find it is 10 times more damaging for the environment than any other meat. How can we make sense of this? And what does this mean for farming in the UK where 73% of farmland is under grass, mostly for sound environmental reasons?

The main environmental problem for cattle and sheep is that they produce methane, while chickens do not. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas but it breaks back down to carbon dioxide and water and does not add to atmospheric carbon because the amount of carbon dioxide produced is exactly the same at that removed by photosynthesis to grow the crops the cattle eat.

The US study was carried out on cattle in dirt-based feedlots eating a diet of maize and soya. These are important human feeds, yet cattle are designed to eat grass, the one crop we humans cannot digest. Cattle have a lower feed conversion rate than chickens, but they can also eat arable byproducts like brewers grains, sugar beet pulp and human inedible seed cake; chickens cannot they are in direct competition with humans for high-quality grains.

Globally, grasslands still contain more carbon than all other sources combined.

Yet, continuous arable cropping steadily puts carbon into the atmosphere, adding to global warming. And as soils lose carbon they become vulnerable to erosion and desertification. They also produce crops more vulnerable to disease and pest attack, which require pesticides that are killing pollinating insects.

But what about meat and health? Well, its the exact opposite of what weve all been told. Beef and lamb from grazing animals has a healthier balance of saturated fats than grain-fed beef and a very healthy omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of less than 2:1. Grain-fed chicken has a very unhealthy ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of up to 14:1. The unhealthy balance of omega-6 to omega-3 in modern diets has been linked to heart disease, cancer and dementia.

But there is one overriding issue no one seems to have considered. Beef and sheep can also eat clover, a legume that puts huge amounts of nitrogen into the soil naturally. We use a million tonnes of nitrogen fertiliser in the UK every year, which is causing pollution costs for society that are two to three times higher than its commercial benefit to farmers. Nitrogen fertiliser is also produced from natural gas. Global reserves stand at 51 years. If todays children are to eat at all in the future, their food will have to be grounded in pasture-based farming.

Chicken vs Beef: Which is Healthier & Better for the Environment? (Surprising Answer)

By: Cat Ebeling, BSN,co-author of the best-sellers: The Fat Burning Kitchen,The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging&The Diabetes Fix

Many hard-core environmentalists, celebrities and even doctors are advising us to eat a plant-based dietor at the very least to give up eating red meat. And if were going to eat meat, weve been told to eat chicken. But is that actually BAD advice?

Chicken is often considered by many a clean meat, and its usually boneless, skinless and hardly resembles something that comes from an animal at all. Its justchicken.

The consumption of chicken has risen about 400% worldwide over the past 50 years while beef production has remained the same or decreased. Can we really save the world and our health, by eating more chicken and less red meat? The answer, as youll see below, will surprise you.

People often say they have given up eating red meat out of concern for the animals, the environment, and their health. Those sound like good reasons on the outside But while cutting out (CAFO) conventionally-raised red meat seems virtuous, eating chicken instead doesnt do much to address those issues, and can even be worse in most cases.

Most all conventional meat and chicken is produced in Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). CAFO meat production is deplorable and we should all definitely do our best to not support this type of agriculture! Animals raised on these factory farms are overcrowded and raised in filthy conditions where the animals have to wallow in a sea of their own feces. CAFOs house anywhere from hundreds to thousands of animals. CAFOs can include open feedlots for cattle and large windowless buildings where chickens are confined in boxes, cages, large crowded areas, or pens.

CAFOs also cause massive pollution to our groundwater and surface water supplies within miles of their operations. CAFOs produce huge amounts of urine and feces that drain off into the water supply. And because these animals are given antibiotics, growth hormones, and other medications, these chemicals are present in the sewage and runoff the animals producewhich then soaks into the ground or runs off into our water supply.

Dont Chickens Have a Better Life?

On the surface, eating chicken and eliminating red meat may SEEM like the healthier choice for our bodies, the animals and the planet, but it is not. Chicken is not actually healthier for us to eat, nor are the chickens treated any better, and theres all of that air, land and water pollution.

Sure, many of us think that chickens run around a farm pecking their feed, clucking and crowing, but unfortunately the vast majority of chickens we eat come from large scale indoor operations. Its difficult to find pastured, humanely raised, organic chickens to eat, unless you live on a farm or have access to local, outdoor farm-raised chickens.

Animals raised in CAFOs are treated very badly, especially chickens. Most chicken comes from a CAFO where they are raised their entire lives (On the other hand, even beef finished in CAFOs spends at least the first year or more of their life outdoors on grass). Chickens are packed into cages or on a filthy floor, where they can barely move around. The poor birds usually have their beaks seared off with a hot blade to avoid pecking each other to death, because they are so packed in so closely. These chickens are bred to grow breasts so big and heavy, they literally can barely walk, are often crippled, and many of them get trampled to death. Most never get outside to breathe fresh air or see the sunshine or eat their natural diets. Large scale organic chicken farms are not much better, unless they are actually pasture-raised, which is rare.

What About Salmonella, etc?

Because CAFOs are so filthy and overcrowded, these chickens are routinely given antibiotics just to prevent all the disease that flourishes in these dirty living conditions. This practice is a big reason there are antibiotic resistant bacteria. And when we eat those chickens, we can often ingest some pretty powerful and nasty bacteria ourselves.

More than 100,000 people were sickened by food-related illness outbreaks between 2009 and 2015, according to a new analysis by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And the food that made more people sick than any other? Chicken.

Chicken is most associated with salmonella poisoning, which causes some pretty serious food poisoning in humans. In addition, the CDC reports that chicken also carries these lovely pathogens as wellwhich can make you very sick if not killed during cooking:

Then what about consuming antibiotic-free, vegetarian fed, no animal by-products and cage free chicken? Not necessarily any better. This does not solve the problem either. Cage-free does not mean much, because these chickens are all crowded together wing to wing in a windowless facility where they never see the light of day. They may see the light of day through a small open window, but never actually make it outdoors. And, many chicken producers are now promoting antibiotic-free chicken, which is a step in the right direction, but there are many different meanings to the no antibiotics sales pitch.

Isnt Vegetarian Fed Better for Me and Chickens?

Does that conjure up images of happy chickens pecking at their cracked corn in their pen? Chickens are not actually vegetarians; their natural diet includes things like grubs, worms and bugs. Chickens fed a diet of only grain will produce meat high in unhealthy, inflammatory omega 6 fats. Not healthy for anyonenot even chickens.

On top of that, grain for chicken feed is most times genetically modified and grown on huge, mono-cropped farms sprayed heavily with pesticides and herbicides. And many grain crops are doused in cancer-causing glyphosate just a week or so before harvest. So, your chicken is eating glyphosate-laced GMO grain, which you end up ingesting as wellwith the all toxic effects on your body.

Mono-cropping for CAFO feed also destroys biodiversity by eliminating the habitat of small animals including birds, toads, insects, worms, rabbits, mice, rats, etc. to clear fields for planting and producing grain.

Did you know that sheep, pigs and cows have regulations for humane slaughter, but not so with poultryThey are killed in pretty inhumane ways. They are often stunned by being run through a vat of electrified water, then their throats are slit. Quite often, however, the electrified water is not effective, so the birds are awake and alert right before they die. At least half of the birds we eat have experienced intense stress and suffering before they reach our kitchen table.

But Its More Ethical to Eat Chicken, Right?

Some people who are attempting to eat ethically say they want to cause the least amount of animal deaths to support their diet and health. OK So, a typical cow produces almost 500 lbs of edible meat. One person could live off the meat from one cow for almost 2 years if thats the only meat they ate. A chicken produces only about 50% edible meat from their 3-5 lb weight. To arrive at the same amount of meat, approximately 250 chickens have to die. Thats about 250x as much suffering and death. Do we really think its more ethical to kill 250 chickens vs just 1 cow?

What about NutritionIsnt Chicken the Healthier Choice, as most think?

Lets talk nutrition. Dietitians and misinformed doctors often scold us for eating red meat and try to tell us its linked to cancer, heart disease and diabetes, and advise us to eat skinless (white meat) chicken breasts instead. BAD advice!

Chicken contains protein and some vitamins/minerals, but beef (especially grass-fed and finished) has a LOT more healthy omega 3 fats, and far less of the inflammatory omega 6 fats. (Unless you can find true pastured-raised organic chicken, which does contain a good amount of omega 3 fats, collagen and protein.)

Beef also contains twice as much iron, selenium, zinc, and phosphorusand far more vitamin B6 and B12 than chicken. In fact an average serving of beef will give you 45% of bioavailable B12, while chicken supplies only about 3%.

Beef also contains a good supply of heme-iron, the most absorbable kind of iron. Iron is necessary for red blood cells that carry oxygen in your body, and a shortage of available iron will cause anemia, usually in women. The biggest nutritional deficiency in the world is iron-deficiency anemia. Beef supplies TWICE as much bio-available, absorbable iron compared to chicken.

The other big deficiency, especially in vegans, vegetarians and the elderly is vitamin B12. B12 can only be obtained from animal sources. A lack of B12 also causes a type of anemia. B12 and iron deficiencies cause weakness, dizziness, heart palpitations, fatigue, brain fog, nerve problems like tingling, depression, and even dementia, and often a B12 and iron deficiency anemias are present at the same time. A good serving of healthy red meat will quickly fix this situation!

In addition to the nutrient profiles, RED meat also contains a variety of bioactive compounds that infer health benefits, including:

• Carnosinean amino acid that has anti-inflammatory, immune regulating properties.
• CoQ10a vitamin like compound that benefits the heart muscle and other muscles, generates growth, repair and maintenance.
• Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)a natural healthy fat that helps burn your own fat, builds muscle, helps with weight loss, and strengthens the immune system.
• Glutathionethe Master antioxidant helps fight oxidative stress, aids in muscle recovery, and overall performance.
• L-carnitinean amino acid that helps in fat metabolism, glucose levels and muscle building.
• Taurinean important amino acid that improves insulin release, allows for better glucose tolerance and is a powerful antioxidant. It is vital for the proper function of the minerals potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sodium.

Beef, when compared to chicken, contains more carnosine (an amino acid), more coQ10, twice as much CLA, twice as much glutathione, 20-30 times more L-carnitine, and more taurine. Overall, its been estimated by nutritionists that beef is 30% more nutrient-dense than chicken, providing significantly more of the nutrients our bodies need to thrive in good health.

Grass Fed/Grass-Finished vs CAFO BeefWhich is Healthier?

The demand for grass-fed beef has skyrocketed over the last decade. Its often listed on menus at restaurants now and is commonly seen in the grocery store.

The term grass-fed can be confusing. All beef is generally grass-fed for the first 12-15 months of their life. Grass-fed and grass-finished meat contains the most benefits. Cattle that are grass-fed and then grain finished have a different nutrition profile, as they are typically finished in a CAFO on grain-based food for the last 4-6 months of their lives, which changes the nutrition of the meat for the worse.

Because grain is not a cows natural food, it often gives them indigestion, makes them sick, and makes them more likely to harbor dangerous e.coli bacteria. Another study shows that grain-fed cattle have more liver abscesses than grass-fed cattle (11% compared to 0.2%). Grass-fed cattle are overall, healthier and need less antibiotics and medications.

Grass-fed cattle roam around outside all day with plenty of room to eat whatever they wish, and obtain sunshine and a stress-free environment. As a result, they are healthier and happier. Most grain-fed cattle spend their days crowded inside a filthy pen, wading through their own excrement.

Grass-fed beef contains far more healthier fats including much higher omega 3 fats compared to omega 6 fats, and almost double the conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) compared to grain-fed cattle. Grass-fed beef also contains significantly more vitamins and minerals than grain-fed beef.

By opting for grass-fed beef, you are supporting small farms who raise their cows in a natural, humane way and getting superior nutrition from healthier, happier cows. Calorie for calorie, its the way more efficient at delivering the highest quality protein in an easily digestible form.

Yes, its true that grass-fed beef is slightly more expensive than conventional beef, but given that its a more nutrient-dense food, it is worth the small extra cost to protect your health. If your budget just does not allow for grass-fed, even conventional beef does offers some nutritional advantage over chicken. It seems odd to me that so many people will spend $1000 or more on their cell phone, or over $100 per month on their cell phone bill, but refuse to spend an extra $2 to $3 per lb for grass-fed meat that will protect their health. Seems like an odd prioritization to me.

Speaking of cost, one of the best quality sources of grass-fed meats that Ive found at a very affordable cost is called ButcherBox, and I use their service myself every month. Try ButcherBox grass-fed meats here.

Another great source of high quality grass-fed meats is US Wellness meats here.

What About Red Meat and Cancer?

Some studies have been done on the association between red meat and cancer. While there has shown some association between the two, they are not conclusive. The main problem is that these studies do not differentiate between conventional red meat from CAFOs, processed (CAFO) meat with lots of added chemicals, nitrites, fat, antibiotics and growth hormones vs. naturally raised grass-fed beef. In other words, most of the studies on red meat do not differentiate between a grass-fed steak or a can of spam. All very different meats, with very different effects on your body.

Studies done on red meat and cancer are generally considered epidemiological research or observational studies. In other words, researchers study broad groups of people who eat lots of red meat and attempt to make connections to cancer. Remember that correlation does not equal causation. In other words, the association between the two may not be the cause.

Its virtually impossible to separate out the variables in an observational study. Many people in these studies who consume red meat and processed meats may also be smokers, non-exercisers, and fast food/junk food/processed food consumers, eating few vegetables or fruits. So again, there is no differentiation between a meal of grass fed steak, organic vegetables, and a glass of water or McDonalds meal of a (CAFO) Big Mac with french fries and a soda.

In other words, eating red meat in the context of a healthy diet and lifestyle is far different from eating red meat and processed meats in the context of an unhealthy diet and sedentary lifestyle.

There are no randomized controlled trials or clinical trials of any nature that show links between red meat and cancer.

Systematic reviews have more credulity and also have looked at the effects of red meat and cancer.

Obviously, what TYPE of red meat is eaten (CAFO, processed or grass-fed/organic) is the most important consideration here, and we cant lump meat-eating in with unhealthy behaviors like smoking, excessive drinking, lack of exercise, etc.

The bottom line is red meatespecially grass fed/organically raised and humanely raised meat will NOT cause cancer. For more information on this topic, click here and here.

And for those of you who are concerned about the latest report concerning a substance called TMAO found in red meat, read this. TMAO is a substance found in peoples guts who eat red meat that has been theorized to be related to heart disease. However correlation is not causation, and TMAO is also found in seafood in much higher concentrations than beef, yet we know that seafood consumption is good for heart health. Therefore, most researchers agree that TMAO is not an issue of concern with meat.

But Red Meat is Bad for the Environment, Isnt It?

Ok, what about red meats carbon footprint? Arent we destroying the environment if we eat red meat? Not necessarily

I will try to answer this in a short summarybut definitely this topic is worthy of a full article. There are so many factors that go into the footprint of our food, and common belief is that a vegetarian dietor even a diet that excludes red meat has a much smaller carbon footprint, but there are costs to our health and the environment.

As Diana Rogers RD, said so well,

The main one being that meat itself isnt evil, its the method by which we farm it (feed lots and CAFOs-Confined Animal Feeding Operations) how we prepare it (breaded and deep fried, or served on a white flour bun), and what we eat alongside it (fries, and a large soda).

Cattle get blamed for using a large amount of water, but that water is measured differently, depending on its use. When researchers analyze water use for agriculture, it is categorized depending on its use and its source. Green water is water that comes from precipitation; blue water is groundwater from aquifers and rivers used for irrigation; gray water is the water required to dilute pollutants to keep water at or above water quality standards.

All beef, CAFO or not, starts out being grass-fed for the first 12-15 months. Green water used for cattle is about 92%. For grass-fed and grass-finished beef, the green water number is 97-98%. Remember green water comes mainly from natural precipitation. However, when studies look at the amount of water cattle use, they also consider natural rainfall. When comparing water usage to chicken, natural rainfall is compared to the amount of irrigated water used grow grain crops. Having a general understanding of how the footprint numbers are derived makes a better case for the amount of water meat red meat actually uses versus grain-fed chickens.

From Diana Rogers:

According to this study from UC Davis, which used the blue water methodology, typical beef requires approximately 410 gallons of water per pound to produce. A pound of rice production also requires about 410 gallons, and avocados, walnuts and sugar are similarly high in water requirements. In Nicolette Hahn Nimans book, Defending Beef, she explains that the amount of water for grass-fed beef is closer to 100 gallons per pound to produce.

Once you understand how these footprint numbers are derived, youll understand how meaningless it is to use them as a critique of meat production. The equations also leave out a lot of critical information like soil type and health It should also be noted that the nutrition in grass-finished beef is far superior to [chicken], rice, avocados, walnuts and sugar, so comparing plant products to meat is not really logical.

For more detailed info on why properly raised grass-fed beef actually benefits the environment instead of destroying it, this article explains that topic more in-depth.

A truly sustainable diet, both in terms of the planet, and in terms of our health, includes grass-fed and grass-finished, humanely raised red meat, which is far more nutrient dense than chicken of any type. If you add in organic vegetables, seasonal fruits and healthy fats, you will have the optimal dietfor your health and for health of the planet. Leave the chicken alone unless you can find a local, truly pasture-raised, organic chicken that were not raised in CAFOs.