A Frankenstein-like milk that comes from lab-grown cell cultures is just months away from being sold in U.S. grocery stores, but it’s already facing fierce resistance. Dubbed UnReal Milk, the new beverage is not produced by real animals. Instead, it comes from large lab tanks called bioreactors that use special animal cells that produce the same proteins, fats and carbs that are found in regular cow’s milk. Brown Foods, the makers of the fake milk, claim it’s “generally recognized as safe.” The announcement has been met with skepticism by many on social media, including some calling for lawmakers to outlaw the product before it even goes on sale. Brown Foods and scientists testing UnReal Milk at MIT say the product is better for the planet than cow’s milk because it cuts greenhouse gases, uses less water to produce, and needs less land than traditional dairy farming. Critics — especially dairy farmers and doctors — have argued that there haven’t been long-term studies proving that the fake milk is as healthy as cow’s milk.
