Scientist holding Petri dish with minced cultured meat in laboratory, closeup| Photo: Bigstock

The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) approved the sale of meat grown from cells by two Californian companies, last Wednesday (21). For the first time, startups Upside Foods and Good Meat will be able to produce and sell “lab meat”, not derived from the slaughter of animals. The FDA (United States Food and Drug Administration) has also approved the sale of the product.

Meat is produced by feeding animal cells with sugars, acids, vitamins and minerals in steel tanks, inside a laboratory. These cells are developed into fat and muscle, which creates something indistinguishable from traditional meat. The product is an antithesis to the “meat of the future”, made from plants, which has gained a lot of popularity in recent years.

The innovation opens the door to a new era of the food industry, considerably more sustainable, as the environmental impacts caused by livestock are reduced. “Instead of all the land and all the water used to raise these animals that are slaughtered, we can do things differently,” said Josh Tetrick, co-founder and chief executive of Eat Just, the company that operates Good Foods, in interview with the New York Times.

Despite technological innovation, it is unlikely that consumers will find the product on supermarket shelves anytime soon. The production of cell-cultured meat, currently restricted to chicken, is much more expensive than conventional meat. California companies will start operations modestly, supplying food to a few restaurants.