The United States approves the sale of laboratory-grown meat

ILaboratory-grown meat will now be allowed to be sold in the United States. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has given Upside Foods and Good Meat final approval for so-called cultured meat, the companies announced Wednesday. The United States is the second country, after Singapore, to allow the sale of laboratory-grown meat.

“It's a dream come true,” said Upside Team Leader Uma Valetti. “It represents a new era.” Both companies produce breeding chickens. Cultured meat is obtained from a sample of animal cells that are fed and grown in steel tanks. Both Upside Foods and Good Meat plan to initially offer their products in upscale restaurants, and as production capacity expands, grocery stores could follow.

First orders

Upside Foods has already secured its first order from star French chef Dominique Crenn's restaurant, Bar Crenn, in San Francisco, California. Good Meat, in turn, is working on a first production for Spanish star chef José Andrés, who runs several restaurants in Washington, D.C., among other places.

In vitro meat from cell cultures provides animal proteins without the problems associated with factory farming and killing animals. It should not be confused with plant-based alternatives such as soy burgers, which mimic the taste and texture of meat without containing animal proteins.

Global meat consumption is a driver of climate change, particularly due to the enormous amount of land needed for factory farming and the associated methane emissions, among other things. According to proponents, artificially produced meat in a laboratory, also known as in vitro meat, is intended to provide a cure here.