Current:Home > ScamsLab-grown chicken meat gets green light from federal regulators-LoTradeCoin
Lab-grown chicken meat gets green light from federal regulators
View Date:2024-12-23 20:52:53
From "free range" to "lab grown," some chicken served in restaurants — and eventually grocery store shelves — in the U.S. is taking the next step towards the future as "cultivated" meat earned approval from federal regulators.
Two firms dedicated to growing and selling the cultivated — also known as lab-grown — meat were issued full approvals Wednesday from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to sell their chicken products in the U.S.
The two California-based cultivated meat companies, Upside Foods and Eat Just, which makes the brand Good Meat, had requested the USDA label the firms' products the first meat for sale in the U.S. that does not come from slaughtered animals. In response, the USDA earlier this month granted their products the label "cell-cultivated chicken."
The development shepherds in a new movement among food suppliers looking to lower the costs of raising and maintaining livestock, reduce harm to animals at factory farms, as well as curb the environmental impact of growing feed, use of land space and animal waste from traditional methods of animal husbandry.
"Instead of all of that land and all of that water that's used to feed all of these animals that are slaughtered, we can do it in a different way," Josh Tetrick, co-founder and chief executive of Eat Just, told the Associated Press.
Eat Just previously earned the world's first approval for cultivated meat in Singapore in 2020. Now, it has its eyes set on U.S. stomachs. The company's first major hurdle for U.S. sales was approval from the Food and Drug Administration to confirm its lab-grown meat was safe for human consumption, which was granted in March. Upside Foods also had its products deemed safe to eat by the FDA last fall.
The majority of the roughly 250 pounds of meat consumed on average by each American every year is poultry, mainly chicken, according to a 2021 study from the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. This leaves a lot of room for cultivated meats to impact the carbon footprint of American consumption, especially for future summer barbecue seasons.
The cultivated meat is grown using cells that come from a living animal or from stored cells from a once-living animal, according to Just Eat's website. The company says once the cell lines are selected, they're combined with a broth-like mixture that includes the amino acids, fatty acids, sugars, salts, vitamins and other elements cells need to grow. Then, the meat is grown inside a steel tank and formed into shapes like nuggets or cutlets.
But lab-created meat does have its skeptics, as the industry contends with what Upside's Chief Operating Officer Amy Chen called "the ick factor" among some consumers, according to the Associated Press. However, she believes the proof is in the poultry.
"The most common response we get is, 'Oh, it tastes like chicken,'" Chen told the AP.
But it will still be a while before the products are stocked on grocery shelves. The two companies are starting small, with deals to first serve the new products in upscale restaurants. Upside will sell cultivated chicken to a San Francisco restaurant called Bar Crenn, while Good Meat dishes will be prepared by chef and restaurateur Jose Andrés' culinary experts at a Washington, D.C., restaurant.
Jennifer Stojkovic, author of "The Future of Food is Female" and founder of the Vegan Women Summit, said in an interview conducted by environmental nonprofit the Footprint Coalition this is "big news."
"At this rate, consumers in the U.S. may see cultivated meat on menus by the end of 2023," she wrote.
Globally, there are more than 150 companies exploring lab-grown meat options and regulatory approvals should start increasing in coming months and years, according to a report from the Good Food Institute.
That will lead to consumers having more choices in the future about where they source their meats, from down on the farm or from a lab.
- In:
- FDA
- United States Department of Agriculture
DC Bureau Assignment Editor covering justice, science, education and politics.
Twitter FacebookveryGood! (58643)
Related
- Jared Goff stats: Lions QB throws career-high 5 INTs in SNF win over Texans
- Honolulu police say they are investigating the killings of multiple people at a home
- Descendants of suffragists talk about the importance of women's voices in 2024
- Sly Stallone, Megan Fox and 'Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey' score 2024 Razzie Awards
- Lee Zeldin, Trump’s EPA Pick, Brings a Moderate Face to a Radical Game Plan
- Trump supporters hoping to oust Wisconsin leader say they have enough signatures to force recall
- Ashley Tisdale Reveals Where She and Vanessa Hudgens Stand Amid Feud Rumors
- Biden plans $30 million ad blitz and battleground state visits as general election campaign begins
- Jeep slashes 2025 Grand Cherokee prices
- Pregnant Vanessa Hudgens and Cole Tucker's Love Story Will Have You Soarin', Flyin'
Ranking
- Tampa Bay Rays' Wander Franco arrested again in Dominican Republic, according to reports
- How to watch (and stream) the 2024 Oscars
- Who's hosting the 2024 Oscars tonight and who hosted past Academy Awards ceremonies?
- Boeing says it can’t find work records related to door panel that blew out on Alaska Airlines flight
- Jerry Jones lashes out at question about sun's glare at AT&T Stadium after Cowboys' loss
- Kansas State tops No. 6 Iowa State 65-58; No. 1 Houston claims Big 12 regular-season title
- ‘Kung Fu Panda 4' opens No. 1, while ‘Dune: Part Two’ stays strong
- Man charged in Wisconsin sports bar killings pleads not guilty
Recommendation
-
2 credit unions in Mississippi and Louisiana are planning to merge
-
Mikaela Shiffrin wastes no time returning to winning ways in first race since January crash
-
National Guard helicopter crashes in Texas: 3 killed include 2 soldiers, 1 US border agent
-
Let These Photos of Former Couples at the Oscars Award You a Trip Down Memory Lane
-
Women’s baseball players could soon have a league of their own again
-
The 2 states that don't do daylight saving — and how they got rid of time changes for good
-
Who helps make Oscar winners? It's past time Academy Awards let casting directors win, too.
-
Chris Jones re-signs with Chiefs on massive five-year contract ahead of NFL free agency