SALISBURY, Md. -- Feathers are ruffled in Wicomico County as billboards promoting cell-cultivated chicken have surfaced in two locations. The "Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine" is advocating for lab-grown meat as an alternative to traditional farming methods.
Scientists create this unique poultry by blending animal cells with other ingredients in controlled tanks, resulting in mature cells forming sheets of product that can be molded or shredded in just three weeks.
While lab-grown meat has received approval for sale in the U.S., it has ignited a debate among Peninsula residents. The billboards have prompted mixed reactions from the community regarding the idea of placing lab-grown chicken on their dinner tables.
Charles Twilley expressed interest in trying cell-cultivated chicken.
"Yes, out of curiosity I would, but I would think I would prefer real chicken, but no, yes I would try it," said Twilley.
Jordan Oates feels the same way.
"If it tastes like chicken, I mean, I would be fine with eating it," said Oates.
However, not everybody seemed as hasty to dig in.
"Probably not, just because it doesn't seem natural," said Robany Pittman.
Dr. Anna Herby of the Physicians Committee asserted that there is little difference in taste and structure between lab-grown and live chickens. According to Dr. Herby, the main advantage of lab-grown chicken is the elimination of environmental risks associated with traditional farming practices.
Herby said there are risks surrounding the environmental impact of chicken manure and foodborne illnesses.
"The Chesapeake Bay is seeing a lot of runoff from the chicken manure, including high phosphorus and high nitrogen levels that are causing dead zones in the bay," said Herby. "By switching to cell-grown chicken, you're completely eliminating the need for live chickens and that eliminates chicken feces from the whole equation."
However, convincing residents on the Eastern Shore to eliminate live chickens from the farming equation may prove challenging. The Delmarva Chicken Association responded to the Physicians Committee's claims, noting that chicken companies in Maryland have already taken steps to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus contributions.
The full statement from the DCA reads: "Farmers, chicken growers, and chicken companies in Maryland have increased chicken production over the past 35 years, meeting strong consumer demand for nutritious, delicious chicken, while at the same time substantially reducing their nitrogen and phosphorus contributions to the Chesapeake Bay to improve water quality. Activist proposals denying that reality aren’t going to help feed people, further protect the Bay, or preserve jobs, including those of Delmarva’s 1,330 family farmers raising chickens or the 18,300 chicken company employees here."
Herby said the Physicians Committee does not view this as the end to the poultry industry, rather a way of growing the industry in a different way. The Physicians Committee would like Perdue to invest 50% of their research and funding into cell-cultivated meat.
Perdue and the City of Salisbury both told us they had no comment at this time.
