Shadowing Practice: Lab-grown meat is on the rise — here's how it is made - Learn English Speaking with Video

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From the poor treatment of animals to uneven food distribution and even climate change,
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lab-grown food is being hailed by some as a solution for many of today's biggest issues.
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Our global agricultural system is responsible for over a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions.
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Among the worst offenders are beef, dark chocolate, coffee and fish based on emissions per kilogram.
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There has been a lot of hype around cell-cultivated food, but how viable is the industry?
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What does it entail and more importantly, will consumers bite?
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Can you do the honours and lift the lid on your creation?
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Over a decade ago on the Edge, we reported on the world's first ever cultured beef burger.
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Unveiled by Professor Mark Post from Maastricht University, it cost around €250,000 to produce.
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He went on to set up MoSoMeat, a company which aims to bring the burger to the masses, and he's not alone.
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There are now hundreds of startups developing their own lab-grown products, but just how do they do it?
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It's a relatively simple procedure and similar for both meat and plant-based production.
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For meat, simply take stem cells from animal's tissue, add a nutrient-rich solution and watch the cells multiply into the three main components of meat,
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muscle, fat and connective tissue.
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Then put the cells into bioreactors or as they're more commonly known, cultivators.
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The cells are then separated and rearranged to build a final edible product.
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This part of the process is called scaffolding and can be very complicated.
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A steak for instance needs a lot more scaffolding than ground meat in a burger.
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The entire process takes between two and eight weeks but the payoff can be huge.
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It's estimated that just one thousandth of a pound of cow cells can create up to 4.4 billion pounds of beef.
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That sounds like an impressive return.
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So what's the hold up?
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Well, cost is a big issue.
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Currently, lab-grown meat is around 40% more expensive than animal meat.
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And then there's health and safety concerns.
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All production must happen in a completely sterile environment because the cells have no natural immunity from diseases.
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And while traditional meat is nutritionally dense, most of its proteins, vitamins and minerals are introduced via animal feed.
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You have to add these nutrients into cultured meat
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and it's still unclear whether today's additives provide equal nutritional value in the long term.
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As a result, regulators can't seem to align on the technology.
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Singapore became the first country in the world to approve cultured meat for human consumption in 2020.
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The US followed suit three years later, and the UK's Food Standards Agency approved use for pet food in early 2024.
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Italy, meanwhile, has banned the production, sale and import of lab-grown meat entirely,
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with the government citing its potential negative impact on the country's farming industry.
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France and Romania might do the same.
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The EU so far has not offered any guidance, but if it does green light use, it could put Brussels on a collision course with angry farmers.
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Some critics are calling for more research into the environmental impacts of cultured food, especially if production is ramped up significantly.
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After all, the manufacturing process still requires an energy source, but those championing the industry believe the benefits outweigh the negatives.
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They say cultured food has the potential to dramatically reduce food waste, tantalise our taste buds with things we've never traditionally eaten,
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and could provide health benefits by tailoring food to nutritional needs such as removing gluten
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or saturated fats without compromising on the taste.
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According to consulting firm McKinsey, cultivated meat could make up as much as half a percent of the world's meat supply by 2030,
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making it a $25 billion global industry.

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Why This Video Is Great for English Speaking Practice

If you’re using shadowspeak or a shadowing app to boost your English, this video is a goldmine. It mixes casual curiosity (“Can you do the honors and lift the lid on your creation?”) with technical details (“bioreactors,” “scaffolding”), giving you practice with both everyday and specialized language. The conversational flow—questions, explanations, and debates—mimics real-world discussions, making it perfect for english speaking practice. Plus, the topic of lab-grown meat is timely, so you’ll learn vocabulary that’s relevant in global conversations.

Breaking Down Natural Speech Patterns

Let’s look at a few lines that sound “real” and why. First: “There has been a lot of hype around cell-cultivated food, but how viable is the industry?” The phrase “a lot of hype” is informal and common in discussions about trends, while “viable” adds formality—this mix is typical in balanced conversations. Next: “He went on to set up Mosa Meat, a company which aims to bring the burger to the masses, and he’s not alone.” The structure “went on to set up” and “bring to the masses” are natural ways to talk about career moves and scaling a product. Finally: “That sounds like an impressive return, so what’s the hold up?” “What’s the hold up?” is a casual way to ask about obstacles, showing how to soften a question in speech. These lines teach you to blend tones and structures, key for fluency.

A Simple Shadowing Routine for This Video

Try this learn english with youtube practice: Pick a 30-second clip (like the part explaining how lab-grown meat is made). First, listen once to get the gist. Then, play a 5-second segment, pause, and repeat it out loud, mimicking the intonation and pace—this is shadow speak at work. Record yourself, then compare to the video. Notice if you stressed the right words (e.g., “muscle, fat, and connective tissue” should have equal emphasis). Do this daily for a week, and you’ll start to sound more natural. Focus on the questions in the video too—they’re great for practicing conversational rhythm. Over time, you’ll not only master new words but also how to deliver them like a native.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

StructureIn the video
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does itbeing hailed · are then separated · is called
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters nowhas been · has banned · has not offered

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →