US allows sale of chicken grown in laboratory – 06/21/2023 – Market

Upside Foods and Good Meat said on Wednesday they had received final approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to sell lab-grown chicken meat, paving the way for the first sales. of the product in the country.

With the approvals, the United States will become the second country to allow the sale of so-called cultured meat, derived from a sample of cells from animals that are fed and grown in steel tanks, after Singapore.

The companies are the first to complete the multi-step approval process in the United States for cultured meat. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has already determined that meat is safe for consumption.

“It’s a dream come true,” Uma Valeti, Upside’s chief executive, said in an interview. “This marks a new era.”

The companies, which produce farmed chicken, plan to initially serve their products in high-end restaurants before scaling production to achieve lower cost in supermarkets.

The Upside Chicken will first be served at Bar Crenn, a San Francisco restaurant owned by chef Dominique Crenn, the company said. Good Meat will sell its first batch of chicken to Grupo José Andrés, owned by the humanitarian and chef of the same name.

The companies said they are still determining an exact timeline for when the products will hit supermarket shelves.

Cultured meat companies hope that their products will provide an attractive alternative for meat consumers who are looking for a more environmentally friendly and humane option for their cuts and who may be dissatisfied with vegetarian products already on the market.

The USDA earlier this month issued label approval for both companies. The FDA issued its approvals for Upside in November 2022 and for Good Meat in March 2023.