BBC Learning English
Words in the News
World's first lab-grown burger
5 August 2013
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Researchers are unveiling the world's first lab-grown burger in London today. The burger
has been grown from stem cells taken from a dead cow. It has cost Ł215,000 to grow
but researchers believe the technology will eventually reduce the cost of meat production
and meet growing demand. The BBC's Science Correspondent, Pallab Ghosh reports:
Professor Post is developing a way to grow meat in a lab because he believes that
livestock farming is not good for the environment, not good for animals nor, he says, is
it going to satisfy the growing demand for meat.
His aim is to produce a burger that looks and tastes just like the real thing but from
what I saw at his lab, that is still a work in progress. The flesh, grown from stem cells,
is pale white and tasteless, so food technologists have had to mix in breadcrumbs,
caramel and saffron to add flavour and beetroot juice to add colour. The mixture is then
put together to make the burger that will be cooked and then eaten by two food writers.
Initial testing, during the development process, suggests that it won't taste great, but
according to Professor Post, it will taste good enough.
Words in the News � British Broadcasting Corporation 2013
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bbclearningenglish.com
Vocabulary and definitions
livestock farming the farming of animals such as cows, chickens and
sheep
to satisfy to meet a need
demand the amount of a product or service that people want
the real thing the original, not a copy
a work in progress something that is happening or being done
stem cells cells, usually from a human or animal, that can
develop into any other kind of cell
technologists people who work with a certain type of technology
(in this report, food)
development process the steps in creating a new product or method
Read and listen to the story and the vocabulary online:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2013/08/130805_witn_stem-cell_burger.shtml
Related story:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22885969
Words in the News � British Broadcasting Corporation 2013
Page 2 of 2
bbclearningenglish.com