Food from the lab? In the USA, companies will be allowed to sell farmed meat in the future. The US Department of Agriculture has approved the two Californian companies Upside Foods and Good Meat for so-called cultured cell-based meat, both companies announced. The United States is the second country after Singapore to allow the sale of lab-grown meat. “It’s a dream come true,” said Upside boss Uma Valeti, saying it marks a new era and makes it possible to enjoy meat without slaughtering billions of animals every year. “This is a big step towards a more sustainable future,” said Valeti. He also addressed the environmental problems that result from factory farming. Good Meat boss Josh Tetrick spoke of an “important moment” for the entire food industry.
Both companies produce breeding chicken meat. The cultured meat is obtained from a sample of animal cells that are fed and grown in steel tanks. The approval does not mean that the artificial meat will be available in stores anytime soon. Both Upside Foods and Good Meat will initially offer their product in upscale restaurants in Washington and San Francisco. As soon as production capacities are expanded, grocery stores could follow.
The industry is hoping for billions in business from cultured meat from the laboratory, and around 150 companies worldwide have already collected almost three billion dollars for research and development. Good Meat’s parent company, Eat Just, has been selling small batches of chicken from the Singapore lab since 2020. This makes the company the first manufacturer of cell-based meat in the world to bring laboratory meat to the public.
Critics doubt the advantages that artificial meat could bring to the environment and climate and point to the high energy requirements in the laboratory factories. The new industry is therefore particularly dependent on being able to use renewable energies.