The U.S. Department of Agriculture has given the go-ahead for the sale of cell-cultured chicken, paving the way for consumers to try it out themselves. The decision is significant for cultured meat producers, who have long touted the production method’s health and environmental benefits. To create the product, stem cells from the fat or muscle of an animal are placed in a culture medium that feeds the cells, allowing them to grow. The medium is then put into a bioreactor to support the cells’ growth, creating an end product that looks and tastes like traditional meat.
Good Meat, a subsidiary of Eat Just, and Upside Foods have both received USDA approval. The meat produced by both companies will be sold under the label, cell-cultivated chicken. Both companies had previously received approval for their lab-grown chicken from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which deemed their products safe for human consumption. The decision also means that the USDA will inspect cultured meat facilities, just as it does traditional meat processing plants and slaughterhouses.
Good Meat has also been given approval to sell its product in Singapore, where it has been available to consumers since December 2020. Eat Just CEO and co-founder Josh Tetrick said in a statement, this announcement that we’re now able to produce and sell cultivated meat in the United States is a major moment for our company, the industry and the food system.
The approval marks a significant milestone for the cultured meat industry. Only Singapore had previously cleared the sale of cell-cultured meat. Proponents of cultured meat say that it provides a sustainable and environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional meat. It will be interesting to see how consumers respond to the availability of cell-cultured chicken, which has been a long-awaited moment within the cultured meat industry.
