News in brief: The United States has approved the sale of lab-grown meat by Upside Foods and GOOD Meat, making it the second country after Singapore to allow commercial sales of cultivated meat. There are still some reservations among a significant portion of the population regarding the concept and potential cost compared to traditional meat.
The United States have approved the sale of lab-grown meat by Upside Foods and GOOD Meat. You’ll recall that we did a report about Upside Foods getting an approval on its label some days ago and waiting for factory inspection before its go-to-market permit.
The US now becomes the second country after Singapore to approve cultivated meat sales. Speaking on the approval, Upside Foods CEO Uma Valeti said that it is a dream come true as it marks a new era.
ð¨THE DAY HAS FINALLY ARRIVED! We are APPROVED TO SELL our cell-cultivated chicken in the US!ð¨
This historic, world-changing, moment brings our vision one giant bite closer to reality. #UPSIDEFoods #CultivatedMeat #TheChickenHasLanded #FoodInnovation #Futureofmeat pic.twitter.com/Ezz80VLOVJ
— UPSIDE Foods (@UPSIDEfoods) June 21, 2023
Meanwhile, GOOD Meat CEO Josh Tetrick commented that the approval eradicates the slaughter of animals. He quoted the following statement from an NPR article on the news.
“For all of human history, eating meat has meant slaughtering animals. But scientists behind cultivated meat say that’s no longer necessary. And, today, the USDA gave its first clearances to sell meat produced this way.”
According to an Aljazeera coverage of the story, people in San Francisco and environs will be able to buy Upside’s lab-grown chicken at Bar Crenn. As for GOOD Meat, the company will sell its first batch of chicken to the José Andrés Group, which has restaurants spread across the US.
The two food makers have not confirmed when their products will be on the menu at these restaurants. However, the overwhelming positive response their announcements generated on social media means that many of their potential customers are anticipating their sales.
Although, there are still as many as 50% adults who don’t quite buy into the idea of meat that grown in steel vats. And there is the projection that it could cost higher then regular meat in the early stage, as Bruce Friedrich, president of the Good Food Institute said.
