U.S. becomes second country to approve sale of lab-grown meat
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made a major breakthrough and announced that it will allow the sale of lab-grown meat produced by cell culture, allow the sale of lab-grown meat produced by culturing cells.
Eat Just’s meat division, Good Meat, announced, along with Upside Foods, that the FDA granted permits on Wednesday to sell cultured poultry.
Lab-grown meat is produced from animal stem cells without the need to slaughter the animal by extracting its cells and growing them in an environment that is controlled by supplying it with nutrients.
“The announcement that we can now produce and sell cultured meat in the United States is an important moment for our company, the industry and the food system,” said GOOD Meat and Eat Just CEO Josh Tetrick.
“We have been the only company selling cultured meat anywhere in the world since we launched in Singapore in 2020,” he added.
“Immediately after receiving the grant of inspection, production began on the first batch of cultured chicken to be sold to celebrity restaurateur and humanitarian chef José Andrés,” GOOD Meat said in a press release issued Wednesday.
UPSIDE Foods just secured full regulatory clearance to produce and sell our cell-cultivated chicken in the U.S., and to celebrate, we’re inviting you to JOIN US for the meal of a lifetime. For details, head to our Instagram page! pic.twitter.com/RBM9JevIQB
— UPSIDE Foods (@UPSIDEfoods) June 21, 2023
“UPSIDE Foods has just obtained full regulatory clearance to produce and sell our cell-grown chicken in the United States, and to celebrate, we invite you to JOIN US for the meal of a lifetime,” tweeted UPSIDE Foods.
Singapore was the only country in the world where such meat had been approved for sale before the FDA approved sales in the United States.
Advocates of lab-grown meat suggest that it is more environmentally friendly than animal farming, which contributes to increased greenhouse gas emissions.
The companies in charge of growing the meat raised a large amount of money from investors; UPISDE Foods was able to raise $608.4 million, in contrast to Eat Just, which raised $978.5 million.
Companies also plan to improve the methods used to mass-produce the product to offer it at a lower price.
