CLAIM: Lab-grown meat is made out of cancerous animal cells.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. Meat grown in labs is made using cells taken from animals, but those cells are not cancerous and there are many safeguards in place to ensure that the end product is safe to consume, experts told The Associated Press. The false claim stems from the fact that, like cancer cells, those used in lab-grown meat often go through a process that allows them to divide indefinitely. But cells must exhibit other traits to be considered cancerous.
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THE FACTS: Following recent news that two companies were given the go-ahead to sell lab-grown meat in the U.S., some social media users are falsely claiming that the products are made from a dangerous source.
One TikTok video, which had received more than 587,000 views by Friday, falsely states that the companies behind the products realized that “cancer cells” are the best source for “fast-replicating cells,” and so are using those as the “base” of the meat.
“Lab grown meat is being cultivated from animal’s cancer cells because they replicate fastest,” reads a Facebook post.
But this is categorically untrue, experts say.
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