June 21 (UPI) — A significant regulatory milestone has been achieved, opening the doors for more companies to produce meat by growing cells obtained from animals’ bodies.
GOOD Meat, the meat division of Eat Just, and UPSIDE Foods announced on Wednesday that they have received approval from the Food and Drug Administration to sell cultivated poultry in the United States.
Cultivated meat, which is grown from animal stem cells without the need to harm animals, is created by extracting cells from an animal and nurturing them in a controlled environment with the necessary nutrients.
“The announcement that we can now produce and sell cultivated meat in the United States is a significant moment for our company, the industry, and the food system,” said GOOD Meat and Eat Just CEO Josh Tetrick. “Since our launch in Singapore in 2020, we have been the only company selling cultivated meat worldwide.”
“Immediately after receiving the inspection grant, we began production for the initial batch of cultivated chicken, which will be sold to renowned restaurateur and humanitarian Chef Jose Andres,” GOOD Meat stated in a press release on Wednesday.
“UPSIDE Foods has just obtained full regulatory clearance to produce and sell our cell-cultivated chicken in the U.S., and to celebrate, we invite you to JOIN US for a once-in-a-lifetime meal,” tweeted UPSIDE Foods on Wednesday.
Prior to this groundbreaking approval, Singapore was the only country that had allowed the sale of cultivated meat.
Advocates of cultivated meat argue that it is a more environmentally-friendly alternative to raising animals for slaughter, which contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and waste production.
Both companies have secured significant investments, with UPSIDE Foods raising $608.4 million and Eat Just raising $978.5 million.
Cultivated meat companies aim to improve mass production methods to reduce the cost of their products.
