Meat production uses a lot of water. The numbers vary, but researchers estimate it takes about 600 gallons to produce a single hamburger patty – roughly the amount it takes to fill a backyard swimming pool.
So, perhaps the best ways to save water is by kicking our meat habit. However, people in the US eat a lot of beef—an average of 77 pounds per person per year. That’s pretty close to a quarter pounder every day.
But, what if you could produce a nearly identical meat substitute using only a fraction of the water? Our friends at Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX looked into it.
"This is the first time a meatball has ever been cooked with beef cells that did not require a cow to be slaughtered."