An international research team has proposed new techniques that may lead to the mass production of meat reared not on the farm, but in the laboratory. Developments in tissue engineering mean that cells taken from animals could be grown directly into meat in a laboratory, the researchers say. Scientists believe the technology already exists to directly grow processed meat like a chicken nugget. The technology could benefit both humans and the environment. "With a single cell, you could theoretically produce the world's annual meat supply. And you could do it in a way that's better for the environment and human health. "In the long term, this is a very feasible idea," said Jason Matheny of the University of Maryland, part of the team whose research has been published in the Tissue Engineering journal. Growing the meat without the animal could reduce the need to keep millions of animals in cramped conditions and would lessen the damage caused by the meat production to the environment. Laboratory-grown meat could also be healthier, proponents say.