Explained | What is lab-grown meat and what did the U.S. recently approve? Premium

“Cell-cultivated chicken” – that’s the official name of chicken meat that is grown in a laboratory for human consumption. On June 21, two California-based companies were cleared to make and sell cell-cultivated chicken in the country in what is being hailed by stakeholders in the concept as a major step forward for reducing the carbon emissions associated with the food industry worldwide.

“Cell-cultivated chicken” – that’s the official name of chicken meat that is grown in a laboratory for human consumption. On June 21, two California-based companies were cleared to make and sell cell-cultivated chicken in the country in what is being hailed by stakeholders in the concept as a major step forward for reducing the carbon emissions associated with the food industry worldwide.

The two companies, Good Meat and Upside Foods, have received the U.S. government’s approval to make and sell their cell-cultivated chicken.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration was involved in the regulatory process but didn’t technically approve the products because the process doesn’t require an approval.

In such cases, a company in question is required to conduct a safety assessment of its own facilities and the veracity of its production process. Sometimes, in order to boost consumer and investor confidence, it may consult with the FDA. At the end of this process, if the FDA is satisfied by the company’s submissions, it will send a “no questions” letter, signalling the regulatory body’s tacit approval.

The FDA provided such letters to Upside in November 2022 and to Good Meat in March 2023.

In June, the U.S. Department of Agriculture finalised the label “cell-cultivated chicken” for the product being sold, and provided a ‘grant of inspection’, which is required to operate production facilities.

To make cell-cultivated meat, these two companies isolate the cells that make up this meat (the meat that we consume), and put them in a setting where they have all the resources they need to grow and make more copies of themselves. These resources are typically nutrients, fats, carbohydrates, amino acids, the right temperature, etc.