U.S. Regulator Approves Lab-Grown Meat for Human Consumption

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday announced that it had approved a lab-grown meat product made from animal cells for ingestion by humans for the first time.

According to a press statement from the FDA, UPSIDE Foods, a company that produces cell-cultured chicken by extracting cells from living animals and using the cells to grow meat in stainless-steel tanks, will be permitted to market its goods after passing USDA inspection.

“The world is experiencing a food revolution and the (FDA) is committed to supporting innovation in the food supply,” stated FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf and Susan Mayne, director of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

In documents made public on Wednesday, the FDA stated that it had examined the company’s evidence and had no further concerns regarding the conclusion that its product was safe for humans to consume.

“We are thrilled at FDA’s announcement… This historic step paves the way for our path to market,” said David Kay, UPSIDE’s director of communications.

The FDA stated in a release that although the agency is prepared to collaborate with other businesses making cultured animal cell food, the review does not technically constitute an approval and only relates to UPSIDE goods.

An agreement between the USDA and FDA to regulate cell-cultured meat came into effect in 2019. The processing and labeling of cell-cultured meat products will be under USDA’s supervision.

Along with growing knowledge of the substantial greenhouse gas emissions associated with raising livestock, demand for meat substitutes has increased. At the COP27 climate summit in Egypt this year, cultivated chicken was fed to guests.

Source: “Lab-grown meat cleared for human consumption by U.S. regulator” by Reuters

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