Lion meat grown in a lab could soon be sold in the UK. A company called Primeval Foods says that instead of farming exotic animals, it grows their cells in a lab. These are used to make artificial meat that tastes the same as the real thing but doesn’t harm the environment or animals. This resources pack includes an article from The Week Junior magazine, along with a sheet of activities designed to get children thinking, talking and writing about what the story means to them.
Debate
Burgers made from artificially grown lion meat may seem distasteful but is it really such a bad idea to broaden the range of things we are happy to eat? Isn’t it silly that there are so many different species of animals yet we only consume a small handful of them? Or do you think that some animals are just too cute or impressive to turn into food? Would it just feel too weird to eat tiger or elephant meat, no matter how good it tastes? What do you think?
Writing challenges
In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, there are three witches who make a gruesome potion out of various bits of animals. Rewrite the second witch’s verse as a vegetarian version.
OR
Write a waiter’s speech for a restaurant that serves meals made from exotic animals, giving each dish a funny name plus a brief description of what is in it and how it is cooked.
Investigate
There are good reasons for humans to eat less or no meat. Research your top three, writing a brief paragraph about each and explaining why it matters or what problems it can cause.
Find the entire series of Topical Tuesday resources to download in our Topical Tuesdays collection.
What is The Week Junior?
The Week Junior magazine looks at current affairs and helps children make sense of the world, provides context and clarity to complex issues, improves general knowledge and encourages discussion and debate.
To find out more about The Week Junior and to download its free resources, please go to The Week Junior website.