PETA Offers $1 Million for Lab Meat

PETA is offering scientists a $1 million cash prize if they can produce and commercialize lab created meat by 2012.

PETA is offering scientists a $1 million cash prize if they can produce and commercialize lab created meat by 2012.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is offering a $1 million prize to anyone who can create a commercially viable poultry product in a laboratory.

PETA leaders say lab-grown meat could satisfy appetites without harming animals.

"People are surprised to learn that PETA is interested in lab-grown meat, but we have overcome our own revulsion at flesh-eating to champion a breakthrough that will mean a far kinder world for animals," said PETA President Igrid Newkirk.

The reward would go to the first scientist who develops a method that produces enough meat to be marketed in 10 U.S. states at a price competitive with prevailing chicken prices.

The deadline for the lab meat to go on sale to the public is June 30, 2012. Scientists must then prove that consumers purchased at least 100 pounds of lab meat in each state it is sold in.

Scientists have always researched ways to produce a product with the taste and texture of traditional chicken or other meats. PETA is the first organization to offer such a million-dollar prize for lab created meals.