The companies will introduce the lab-grown meat to two exclusive restaurants in San Francisco and Washington, DC. Broader availability in grocery stores is expected in the coming years
For the first time in the country, regulators have approved the sale of lab-grown chicken, marking a milestone in the alternative meat industry.
The decision by the US Department of Agriculture permits two California-based companies, Upside Foods and Good Meat, to sell “cultured” or “cultivated chicken” in the US without animal slaughter.
Good Meat already sells cultured chicken products in Singapore.
What’s next?
The companies will introduce the lab-grown meat to two exclusive restaurants in San Francisco and Washington DC. Broader availability in grocery stores is expected in the coming years.
The move signifies a shift towards meat production that eliminates harm to animals and reduces environmental impacts.
But
The cost and scale of production remain a significant challenge.
Lab-grown chicken cutlets are expected to cost $20 per pound, around the same as high-quality organic chicken.
One of the companies, Upside Foods, says it can produce 400,000 pounds of cultivated meat a year. In comparison, the US currently produces approximately 50 billion pounds of conventionally farmed chicken every year.
How is cultured chicken made?
Cultivated meat is produced in steel tanks, where cells from living animals, fertilized eggs, or specialized cell banks are nurtured. The meat is cultivated in large sheets that are then shaped into chicken cutlets and sausages.