The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the green light to what might be the country’s first lab-grown beef product destined for human consumption.
The ruling, a first for created meat in the US, allows Californian firm Upside Foods to begin selling its lab-grown chicken product domestically, implying that the ersatz chicken now just requires permission from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) before it can appear on restaurant menus.
The goods of Upside Foods were examined using a procedure in which producers reveal the manufacturing process to the agency for examination, along with a sample. If everything seems fine after inspection, the FDA gives the firm a “no more questions” letter.
Unlike popular vegan alternatives such as Beyond Burgers, lab meat such as Upside’s is not a plant-based facsimile. They are instead manufactured from genuine animal cells cultivated in bioreactors, saving the lives of actual cows.
While the meat may be the same at the molecular level, buyers will perceive a price difference.
For the time being, producing meat remains an exceedingly expensive procedure, so barring USDA clearance, it may be a while before you see it on the shelves of your local supermarket. While the FDA’s approval only relates to one of Upside’s products, it is nonetheless a landmark decision that points the way forward for a sector that is increasingly attracting investment.
Reference- FDA website, Reuters, Upside Foods website and PR,TechCrunch, Food Manufacturing