You could call it a Frankenburger.

For two years, Dutch scientist Mark Post has been working in a lab to create synthetic, edible meat made of animal stem cells.

On Aug. 5, Post will cook what’s being called the world’s “first lab-grown hamburger,” and serve it at a public tasting in London.

He says it’s a kinder and greener way of producing meat. It cuts down on greenhouse gas emissions and avoids animal slaughter. And he’s optimistic the product can be mass produced.

“We have all the variables, the controls so we eventually can make it efficient,” Post said in a TED Talk about his work.

For now, the test tube meat isn’t easy to make. The burger Post will serve in London costs more than $340,000 (Cnd.) and took 7 to 8 months to produce.

To create the Frankenburger, Post took muscle stem cells from a cow through a biopsy. Those cells multiplied and developed into muscle cells that grew fibres which eventually became edible muscle tissue. It can be ground into minced meat and made into a hamburger patty, a fact sheet explains.

David Alexander, executive director of the Toronto Vegetarian Association, says the idea is good if it’s producing meat “in a way that doesn’t involve the misery that a lot of animals experience on factory farms.”

Alexander said it is unlikely that he would ever eat a test tube hamburger because he doesn’t miss meat, but he applauds anything that reduces animal cruelty and environmental impact.

Chris MacDonald, Ryerson University ethics professor and vegetarian, would try it.

“It doesn’t sound entirely appealing (to eat) but from both a human welfare point of view and an animal welfare point of view, this is such a good step in the right direction that I would absolutely try it,” he said.

MacDonald doesn’t see any ethical issues with the idea of in-vitro meat. The bigger issue is whether or not people will accept eating something made in a lab.

In his TED Talk, Post acknowledges that test tube meat may sound “Frankensteinish.”

But if it lands on store shelves someday and it’s cheaper, doesn’t cause as much harm to animals and tastes and looks the same as regular meat, he suspects people will buy it.

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“It’s not a real product yet. It’s a proof of concept, showing to the world that we can do this,” Post said in his TED Talk.

“My ambition is to gather a lot of people and a lot of money to do all the research that’s required to take out all the small obstacles and get this on to your plates.”