In a historic decision, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved the sale of cell-grown chicken in the United States. This makes the US only the second country in the world, after Singapore, to allow the commercial sale of lab-grown meat.
The two companies that received USDA approval are Good Meat, a subsidiary of Just Eat Inc., and Upside Foods. Both companies use a similar process to grow chicken cells in a laboratory.
First, they take a small sample of cells from a live chicken. These cells are then placed in a nutrient-rich solution (sugars, amino acids, salts, vitamins, and minerals) and grown in a bioreactor. As the cells grow, they multiply and form muscle tissue and fat.
Once the muscle tissue has reached a certain size, it is harvested and processed into a variety of other products, such as steaks and hamburgers.
The USDA's approval of cell-cultured chicken is a major step forward for the alternative protein industry. It paves the way for lab-grown meat to be sold in restaurants and grocery stores across the United States.
However, it is important to note that cell-grown chicken is still in its early stages of development. It is currently much more expensive than traditional chicken and the production process is not yet scalable. As technology continues to improve, the cost of cell-grown chicken is expected to drop and the production process to become more efficient.
As the process is still very special and very expensive, these first manufacturers are going to offer their first products to very exclusive and expensive restaurants like the one run by chef José Andrés in Washington.
There are a number of potential benefits to cell-grown chicken. First of all, it is a more sustainable way of producing protein. Traditional chicken production requires a lot of land, water and energy. Cell-grown chicken, on the other hand, can be produced in a much smaller space.
Second, cell-grown chicken is produced without harming the animals. This makes it a more ethical choice for consumers concerned with animal welfare.
Third, cell-grown chicken can be tailored to meet the specific nutritional needs of consumers. For example, it can be made to have more protein or less fat, as desired.
The approval of cell-grown chicken in the US is a major milestone for the alternative protein industry. It's a sign that lab-grown meat is becoming more common and will more than likely lead to more investment in this area.
As technology continues to improve, cell-grown chicken could become a more affordable and sustainable alternative to traditional chicken, but for that there is still a long way to go.
And I am very clear that more or less similar technologies will be developed to produce other types of animal meat: cattle, sheep, fish, etc….
And the question that arises is: what will we end up eating in a few years?
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