What came first, the chicken or the egg?

An Israeli company has made the question redundant by achieving something remarkable. 'SuperMeat' has grown chicken in a laboratory, and they now plan to expand the process to a 'commercial scale'.&nbsp;

SuperMeat is holding test meals for customers in a small restaurant in the Israeli town of Ness Ziona, the restaurant is aptly called the 'Chicken'. Diners here can devour the laboratory-grown chicken, produced without using genetic engineering or antibiotics.&nbsp;

Can it be considered 'vegetarian' since the meat is grown in a lab? That remains disputed; however, the process is cruelty-free and doesn't require any slaughtering of animals. People who left eating meat because of moral reasons are now flocking to the 'Chicken'. "One of the reasons that I became vegetarian originally was because it's not ethical, it's not sustainable. To get meat minus the cruelty is just amazing, it's perfect, I could eat this every single day,"&nbsp;says Annabelle Silver who tried out SuperMeat's 'cultured chicken'.

SuperMeat is not the first company to master the process. Last year, a Singaporean company became the first to produce 'lab grown chicken'. However, SuperMeat aims to be at the forefront of&nbsp;'food revolution' and help combat global hunger. "Meat demand is supposed to double itself over the next couple of decades, and we are going to need more technologies, more infrastructure to produce more and more meat. Additionally, this is a very sustainable production process, as you can see this is a very small area, and we're able to produce hundreds of kilogrammes on a weekly basis here. This way we'll be able to reduce the amount of land, water use and so many other resources," says Ido Savir, the CEO of SuperMeat. The company is now hopeful of earning regulatory approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The process involves cultivating cells taken from a fertilised chicken egg. Cell cultures are fed a plant-based liquid including proteins, fats, sugars, minerals and vitamins. With all the feed going directly into production, it grows rapidly, with the mass doubling within a matter of hours, the company says.

SuperMeat is the latest company to try and answer another key question of our time: can tech and innovation be used to combat the global food crisis?&nbsp;

Global meat production is projected to rise 15 per cent by 2027, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. This comes at a time when the global hunger crisis is also compounding. COVID-19 pandemic, lockdowns, impact on supply chains, global conflicts and extreme weather events have contributed to accelerating the global hunger crisis in 2020 and the catastrophe is expected to worsen this year.&nbsp;

According to the World Food Programme, "the global goal of achieving zero hunger by 2030 seemed increasingly out of reach. This follows another annual rise in the numbers of acutely food-insecure people in need of urgent food, nutrition and livelihood assistance."

World Food Programme reveals, "at least 155 million people in 55 countries/territories were in crisis or worse in 2020, an increase of around 20 million people from 2019". Around 28 million people globally were in a state of food emergency or worse and required urgent action to save lives and livelihoods.&nbsp;

Three of the four worst-affected&nbsp;countries are in conflict-hit West Asia:

<ul>
	<li>13.5 million&nbsp;people or 45 per cent&nbsp;of Yemen's population faced food crisis in 2020.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>13.2 million people or 42&nbsp;per cent of Afghanistan's population faced food consumption gaps.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>12.4 million&nbsp;people or 60&nbsp;per cent of Syria's population faced food crisis with an acute risk of malnutrition.</li>
</ul>

The biggest global food crisis, however, is in the African nation of Congo, where 21.8 million people face a food emergency. The armed insurgency has also forced millions of people to flee their homes. &nbsp;

The global food crisis is accelerating in almost every region of our planet. Inflation, accessibility, migration and conflicts will only worsen the crisis. In such a situation, it is imperative that countries and companies invest time and energy into new technologies that can make food production and distribution more accessible and economical.

(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)

What came first, the chicken or the egg? An Israeli company has made the question redundant by achieving something remarkable. 'SuperMeat' has grown chicken in a laboratory, and they now plan to expand the process to a 'commercial scale'.

What came first, the chicken or the egg? An Israeli company has made the question redundant by achieving something remarkable. 'SuperMeat' has grown chicken in a laboratory, and they now plan to expand the process to a 'commercial scale'. SuperMeat is holding test meals for customers in a small restaurant in the Israeli town of Ness Ziona, the restaurant is aptly called the 'Chicken'. Diners here can devour the laboratory-grown chicken, produced without using genetic engineering or antibiotics. Can it be considered 'vegetarian' since the meat is grown in a lab? That remains disputed; however, the process is cruelty-free and doesn't require any slaughtering of animals. People who left eating meat because of moral reasons are now flocking to the 'Chicken'. "One of the reasons that I became vegetarian originally was because it's not ethical, it's not sustainable. To get meat minus the cruelty is just amazing, it's perfect, I could eat this every single day," says Annabelle Silver who tried out SuperMeat's 'cultured chicken'. SuperMeat is not the first company to master the process. Last year, a Singaporean company became the first to produce 'lab grown chicken'. However, SuperMeat aims to be at the forefront of 'food revolution' and help combat global hunger. "Meat demand is supposed to double itself over the next couple of decades, and we are going to need more technologies, more infrastructure to produce more and more meat. Additionally, this is a very sustainable production process, as you can see this is a very small area, and we're able to produce hundreds of kilogrammes on a weekly basis here. This way we'll be able to reduce the amount of land, water use and so many other resources," says Ido Savir, the CEO of SuperMeat. The company is now hopeful of earning regulatory approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The process involves cultivating cells taken from a fertilised chicken egg. Cell cultures are fed a plant-based liquid including proteins, fats, sugars, minerals and vitamins. With all the feed going directly into production, it grows rapidly, with the mass doubling within a matter of hours, the company says. SuperMeat is the latest company to try and answer another key question of our time: can tech and innovation be used to combat the global food crisis? Global meat production is projected to rise 15 per cent by 2027, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. This comes at a time when the global hunger crisis is also compounding. COVID-19 pandemic, lockdowns, impact on supply chains, global conflicts and extreme weather events have contributed to accelerating the global hunger crisis in 2020 and the catastrophe is expected to worsen this year. According to the World Food Programme, "the global goal of achieving zero hunger by 2030 seemed increasingly out of reach. This follows another annual rise in the numbers of acutely food-insecure people in need of urgent food, nutrition and livelihood assistance." World Food Programme reveals, "at least 155 million people in 55 countries/territories were in crisis or worse in 2020, an increase of around 20 million people from 2019". Around 28 million people globally were in a state of food emergency or worse and required urgent action to save lives and livelihoods. Three of the four worst-affected countries are in conflict-hit West Asia: 13.5 million people or 45 per cent of Yemen's population faced food crisis in 2020. 13.2 million people or 42 per cent of Afghanistan's population faced food consumption gaps. 12.4 million people or 60 per cent of Syria's population faced food crisis with an acute risk of malnutrition. The biggest global food crisis, however, is in the African nation of Congo, where 21.8 million people face a food emergency. The armed insurgency has also forced millions of people to flee their homes. The global food crisis is accelerating in almost every region of our planet. Inflation, accessibility, migration and conflicts will only worsen the crisis. In such a situation, it is imperative that countries and companies invest time and energy into new technologies that can make food production and distribution more accessible and economical. (Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)

Why countries must invest in tech and innovation to combat global food crisis

The word 'Basmati' has its roots in the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit which means aromatic.&nbsp;

From 'biryani' to 'pulao' the world's favourite rice preparations are synonymous with the 'basmati' rice. But now 'basmati' is at the centre of a bitter tussle between India and&nbsp;Pakistan.

The first-ever&nbsp;recorded reference to ‘basmati’ rice is found in the epic Indian poem Heer Ranjha dated 1766. Two and a half centuries later Pakistan is challenging India's ownership of the 'basmati'.&nbsp;

India has applied for an exclusive trademark that would grant it sole ownership of the 'basmati' title in the European Union. India says the move is essential to protect its culinary heritage. However, Pakistani rice producers claim this would destroy their livelihood.&nbsp;

Ghulam Murtaza, who is the co-owner, Al-Barkat rice mills near Lahore says the Indian move would be like dropping a nuclear bomb on Pakistani rice exports.

Ghulam says, "Ninety per cent of our work is with basmati rice. We purchase basmati rice from our farmers. So our factories will shut down, and we can’t produce too much [other kinds of rice]. So this is like directly dropping an atomic bomb on us."

In July 2018, India applied for Protected Geographical Indication or PGI status for Basmati rice before the European Union. The&nbsp;process gathered steam after a recent India-EU trade summit.&nbsp;The tag grants intellectual property rights for goods produced in a geographical area.&nbsp;Pakistan challenged India's application soon after.

‘Basmati’ has been a registered GI in India since 2016. Seven Indian states produce the unique variety of rice in the foothills of the Himalayas while this variety of rice is grown only in the Punjab province of Pakistan.

India's application for registration with the European Union also highlights its historical claim.

India mentions the epic Heer Ranjha of 1766. Reports to the UK House of Commons in 1874, along with the Paris &amp; Vienna Universal Exhibitions of 1867 &amp; 1873, mention 'Indian Basmuttee rice’.

French, Spanish &amp; Moroccan courts have also rejected the 'Basmati' trademark for rice grown outside India.&nbsp;

Over the last two decades, India also implemented steps to protect the legal status of 'Basmati', including DNA testing. While Pakistan hasn't taken such steps, it does claim a joint heritage.&nbsp;

Malik Faisal Jahangir who is the Vice-President of Pakistan Rice Exporters Association accepts there are differences but hopes to find a way out. He says, "When it comes to India and Pakistan, historically we have not been good friends and in the coming future we expect our relations to improve which means that if the decision of the joint heritage, heritage comes up it's a win-win situation for both countries and both countries should be happy with it."

India is the world's top exporter of 'Basmati' rice. India exported over 44 lakh tonnes of basmati in 2018-19 while Pakistan exported about an eighth of that amount. As per EU rules, however, the two countries must try to negotiate an amicable resolution by September.

Geographical Indications expert Delphine Marie-Vivien highlights both, the Indian heritage and&nbsp;the common geographical area of origin.

"Pakistan is a recent country, it was following the partition of India that the state was created. So obviously, historically, the reputation and geographic area [for basmati] are common to India and Pakistan", says Delphine.&nbsp;

Pakistan hopes to convince India to submit a joint application for 'Basmati'. Some reports suggest that the two sides have discussed the issue. However, if an agreement cannot be reached and the European Union rules in India's favour,&nbsp;Pakistan would have the option of approaching the European courts.

The word 'Basmati' has its roots in the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit which means aromatic. From 'biryani' to 'pulao' the world's favourite rice preparations are synonymous with the 'basmati' rice.

The word 'Basmati' has its roots in the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit which means aromatic. From 'biryani' to 'pulao' the world's favourite rice preparations are synonymous with the 'basmati' rice. But now 'basmati' is at the centre of a bitter tussle between India and Pakistan. The first-ever recorded reference to ‘basmati’ rice is found in the epic Indian poem Heer Ranjha dated 1766. Two and a half centuries later Pakistan is challenging India's ownership of the 'basmati'. India has applied for an exclusive trademark that would grant it sole ownership of the 'basmati' title in the European Union. India says the move is essential to protect its culinary heritage. However, Pakistani rice producers claim this would destroy their livelihood. Ghulam Murtaza, who is the co-owner, Al-Barkat rice mills near Lahore says the Indian move would be like dropping a nuclear bomb on Pakistani rice exports. Ghulam says, "Ninety per cent of our work is with basmati rice. We purchase basmati rice from our farmers. So our factories will shut down, and we can’t produce too much [other kinds of rice]. So this is like directly dropping an atomic bomb on us." In July 2018, India applied for Protected Geographical Indication or PGI status for Basmati rice before the European Union. The process gathered steam after a recent India-EU trade summit. The tag grants intellectual property rights for goods produced in a geographical area. Pakistan challenged India's application soon after. ‘Basmati’ has been a registered GI in India since 2016. Seven Indian states produce the unique variety of rice in the foothills of the Himalayas while this variety of rice is grown only in the Punjab province of Pakistan. India's application for registration with the European Union also highlights its historical claim. India mentions the epic Heer Ranjha of 1766. Reports to the UK House of Commons in 1874, along with the Paris & Vienna Universal Exhibitions of 1867 & 1873, mention 'Indian Basmuttee rice’. French, Spanish & Moroccan courts have also rejected the 'Basmati' trademark for rice grown outside India. Over the last two decades, India also implemented steps to protect the legal status of 'Basmati', including DNA testing. While Pakistan hasn't taken such steps, it does claim a joint heritage. Malik Faisal Jahangir who is the Vice-President of Pakistan Rice Exporters Association accepts there are differences but hopes to find a way out. He says, "When it comes to India and Pakistan, historically we have not been good friends and in the coming future we expect our relations to improve which means that if the decision of the joint heritage, heritage comes up it's a win-win situation for both countries and both countries should be happy with it." India is the world's top exporter of 'Basmati' rice. India exported over 44 lakh tonnes of basmati in 2018-19 while Pakistan exported about an eighth of that amount. As per EU rules, however, the two countries must try to negotiate an amicable resolution by September. Geographical Indications expert Delphine Marie-Vivien highlights both, the Indian heritage and the common geographical area of origin. "Pakistan is a recent country, it was following the partition of India that the state was created. So obviously, historically, the reputation and geographic area [for basmati] are common to India and Pakistan", says Delphine. Pakistan hopes to convince India to submit a joint application for 'Basmati'. Some reports suggest that the two sides have discussed the issue. However, if an agreement cannot be reached and the European Union rules in India's favour, Pakistan would have the option of approaching the European courts.

India vs Pakistan: Battle for 'Basmati'

Author

Zee News Rajasthan

Editor

Shobhit Mittal

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