It is a dilemma that society has always faced; we love animals and care for their well-being, but meat is nutritious and delicious. Vegetarian alternatives fall short of the real thing, and living a more cruelty free life can run up quite a bill. However, at the same time, it cannot be ignored that about 50 billion animals are killed, most in inhumane ways, just to feed us. So what are we to do? It is clear that something must be done, and in an effort to help the cause, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has put up a one million dollar reward for the first group to produce laboratory grown meat. The tissue, once grown, could be shaped and given texture, along with additives and structural agents that are now used to give products like soy burgers a more meaty texture. In vitro meat production would use animal stem cells that would be placed in a medium to grow and reproduce. The result would mimic flesh that could be cooked and eaten.

It may sound creepy, but there are many benefits to consider. Besides the important purpose of saving billions of animal lives, in vitro meat is more nutritious, efficient, safer, cleaner, cheaper, and it allows us to make better use of the land and resources used for producing real meat. All while tasting the same!

There are strict conditions set by PETA in order to qualify for the one million dollars. The fake chicken meat must rival the taste of real chicken meat, be grown in a large quantity, shipped and successfully sold in ten states, at a comparable price to real meat, by June 30, 2012. Judging of taste and texture will be performed by a panel of 10 PETA judges, who will sample the product using a fried "chicken" recipe.

It is hard for most people to imagine their cheeseburger or drumstick as a living, breathing creature, but the truth of the matter is, it once was. An animal was slaughtered to put that on your plate, and although we all like to push those thoughts aside, it is important that we as human beings take it upon ourselves to at least lessen the blow. Animals are a precious gift, and yet humans assume they are theirs to use; it’s an incredible injustice. I’m just as guilty as everyone else; I can’t help but eat meat, but we should all see our faults and try to take small steps to improving. This meat, if done correctly, could be a truly amazing thing, and everyone should give it a chance.