Recent news broke that scientists have invented “slaughter-less meat.” You can finally eat meat without worrying about the animals slaughtered for the meat processing. Instead, the meat is grown in a lab.

But many people have questions about the new “lab-grown” meat. Will it really help save the planet?

What’s “Lab-Grown” Meat?

You might be asking, “What exactly is ‘lab-grown’ meat? Will it taste just as good as slaughtered meat?”

According to the BBC, scientists have been working on growing meat in a laboratory for decades. But they finally mastered it. Scientists at Just, a food company in San Francisco, California, grew meat from animal cells. The meat is grown in a cultured, synthetic, in-vitro, and clean environment. A protein acts as an enabler for the cells to multiply to grow into edible meat.

If you’re concerned about the taste, taste testers claimed the meat was just as crisp and flavorsome as other meats you would buy at the grocery store. Lab-grown meat might not taste quite like the chicken nuggets you can buy at McDonald’s or Burger King, but it’s pretty close.

There’s no reason why you should turn your nose up at the suggestion to eat “lab-grown” meat, scientists say.

Save The Planet

Considering animals won’t be slaughtered for lab-grown meat, will this help save the planet? That’s the question on many minds since news broke about the scientific discovery. Scientists all agree on one answer: Yes, it will save the planet.

According to a report published by the Worldwatch Institute, 54% of the Earth’s annual global carbon emissions are caused by raising livestock and related activities on farms. In addition, livestock consumes about eight percent of the planet’s valuable water supply. Scientists claim this is an “inefficient use of water.”

But we doubt farmers would enjoy hearing that their practices are harming the planet.

The Plans For Lab-Grown Meat

Seventy billion animals are slaughtered every year for commercial use. That’s a huge number, but lab-grown meat would help eliminate this “unnecessary” act.

Lab-grown meat would remove several steps in meat processing. For example, growing a meat-like substance would be similar to growing plants—completely harmless. Scientists would control the lab-grown, “cultured” meat, instead of farmers watering crops to then feed animals. Now farmers would only need to provide water to animals for survival.

Scientists are also acknowledging that growing meat in a lab would eliminate farmland required to raise cattle. According to The Guardian, the land that could be used for human life is instead occupied by farmers to produce meat.

How Long Before We Have This

Farmers are probably dreading the day when lab-grown meat is commercially popular and made available in restaurants and grocery supermarkets. But the time has come. Just executive Josh Tetrick guaranteed the company’s scientists are working around-the-clock to grow chicken and steak in a safe, clean environment.

Lab-grown meat could be on restaurant menus and in supermarkets as early as the end of the calendar year. Are you ready?

MORE: Why is this necessary? Is eating meat really that bad for the environment?