Food from the Laboratory

Lab-Concocted Foods - Safe or Scary?

Cultured Meat
To make this space-age delicacy, cells are harvested from a live animal and then grown in a lab -- no slaughter required. One group developing test tube meat, New Harvest, claims that a single cell could theoretically multiply and produce enough processed meat (sausages, burgers, chicken nuggets) to feed the global population for a year.

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Verdict
It'll be years before this stuff is ready for testing, so who knows. But there is an "ewww" factor. (At least for some of us.)

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Allergen-Free Peanuts
Researchers are developing a process to make genetically engineered, allergen-free and allergen-reduced peanuts. This would result in fewer potentially deadly reactions to the much-maligned legumes -- not to mention more peanut eaters.

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Verdict
While there's no ETA, you can bet many parents are looking forward to the day they can give their child PB&J without fear, thanks to scientists "shutting off" the allergens. Sounds promising.

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Partially Hydrogenated Oils
These trans-fats are produced by adding hydrogen to vegetable oils, which results in a longer shelf life for the products containing these fats -- frozen waffles, Ramen noodles, margarine. Trans-fats were once considered a healthy alternative to butter and animal fat (saturated fats). Now studies show that trans-fats are far more damaging. They increase LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) and decrease HDL (the good kind).

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Verdict
Run far away. When it comes to upping your risk of heart disease, you're better off eating lard than trans-fats. Best to choose healthy fats like olive oil instead. Read the labels of packaged foods and steer clear of partially hydrogenated oils.

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High-Fructose Corn Syrup
A dozen different mechanical and chemical processes are needed to produce high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), a sweetener made from corn that is far cheaper than white sugar and found in many processed foods (yup, soft drinks are a biggie).

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Verdict
While HFCS may have no worse effect on the body than white sugar (which itself isn't great), it tends to appear in the junkiest of foods. If you avoid it you'll be steering clear of the kinds of high-calorie fare that has largely led to America's obesity crisis, like soda, fruit-flavored drinks, packaged cookies and snack cakes.

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Genetically Modified Produce
If you're not buying organic, chances are you're consuming crops that are genetically modified. All that means is that genes from one fruit or veggie have been tinkered with by scientists in an effort to make them bigger, better and pest-resistant. The Europeans tend to be suspicious of genetically modified foods, but here in the U.S. they are considered GRAS, or "generally recognized as safe."

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Verdict
Critics charge not enough is known about the safety of these products, which could house unknown toxins or allergens. If the idea of giving genetically modified foods to your family bothers you, go organic.

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