Is it soy? Is it meat? Is it something else? Actually, it’s science.
The US Department of Agriculture approved the sale of “cultivated” or lab-grown meat to American consumers on Wednesday, paving the way for what manufactures say is a new avenue for food sourcing and distribution.
Two companies, Upside Foods and GOOD Meat, were both given the rubber stamp to begin manufacturing and selling their “cultivated chicken” products, also known as “cultured” chicken, which are produced using animal cells grown in a lab to create meat without directly slaughtering an animal.
Companies and advocates working in the meat-alternative space celebrated the decision, hailing lab-grown protein as a viable means of addressing environmental and ethical concerns linked to the traditional mass-production of meat.
The Good Food Institute, a non-profit think tank focused on advancements in the alternative protein industry, called the news “groundbreaking” in a statement, citing research published in The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment that expects cultivated meat to be nearly three times more efficient, with the potential to reduce the carbon footprint by 92 percent, land use by 90 percent, and water use by 66 percent compared to conventional beef production.
GFI president Bruce Friedrich called the approval a breakthrough that is another step toward enabling “the world to diversify protein production while slashing emissions, increasing food security, reducing risks to public health, and freeing up lands and waters for restoration and recovery.”
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The future of meat?
The cultivated meat is created in a manner that resembles the brewing of beer, according to Upside Foods, as cells taken directly from animals or their fertilized eggs are grown in large metal drums. Eat Just, the parent company of GOOD Meat, also noted in a statement that they have been selling their “meat without the slaughter” products overseas for three years, saying in part: “We have been the only company selling cultivated meat anywhere in the world since we launched in Singapore in 2020, and now it’s approved to sell to consumers in the world’s largest economy.”
The companies have completed the rigorous steps required for approval by the U.S. government, but both now face the challenge of scaling to meet what some researchers predict will be a fast-growing demand. For now, you’ll have to make reservations for some fine dining if you want to give the lab-grown protein a try.
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Where you can get lab-grown meats in the US?
GOOD Meat plans to sell their first batch of cultivated chicken to Chef José Andrés, who operates more than 30 restaurants across the country and plans to serve the inaugural dishes at a yet unspecified D.C. location.
Upside Foods will be distributing their initial lot to Michelin-starred San Francisco restaurant Bar Crenn.
Both companies have noted that production will be very limited at first and have yet to announce predictions for when their products will hit store shelves.
