US okays lab-grown meat for public consumption, only second country to do so

The US has become the only second country in the world to approve lab-grown chicken meat for public consumption. The US Department of Agriculture gave two California-based companies - Upside Foods and Eat Just - the final go-ahead to begin commercial production and sales in the US. Singapore is the only other country to have approved lab-grown or cultured meat. 

The companies have said that lab-grown meat will soon be available in select restaurants. The decision comes a few months after the US FDA deemed lab-grown meat safe for consumption.

How is lab-grown meat made?

Instead of operating large poultry farms, using fodder and water to maintain a large number of live animals, often in cramped and unhygienic spaces, and then slaughtering the animals, lab-grown meat is produced by taking the live cells from a living animal.

• All it takes is an anesthetic injection to get a few sample cells, which doesn't hurt the animal much or at all.
• The cells are then combined with a broth-like mixture of amino acids, fatty acids, sugar, salts, vitamins, and other elements required to make the cells grow, AP reports.  
• The cells grow into large sheets of meat inside the tanks. And after about three weeks, they are shaped into sausages or cutlets. 
• The AP reported a chef at Upside Foods preparing a chicken dish using lab-grown chicken and describe the meat as slightly paler than the usual chicken meat; but then, everything from texture to taste was the same. 
• Lab-grown meat should not be confused with plant-based meat alternatives. Cultured meat is not produced using plant alternatives. 

We’re working with world-renowned chef José Andrés to bring GOOD Meat to one of his restaurants in Washington, D.C. Stay tuned to find out where you can try it.https://t.co/BW3c0spuvp

— GOOD Meat (@GOODMeat) June 22, 2023

How viable is it commercially? 

• Reports say that it will be at least 7-10 years before consumers see cultured meat widely available in the market. 
• Then there are questions about the pricing of lab-grown meat. Currently, lab-grown meat is generally more expensive than regular meat. 
• In future, it is expected to cost about the same as high-end organic meat. 
• The prices are high because mass production of lab-grown meat is still a few years away. Besides production, the demand for lab-grown meat is yet to increase. 
• Upside Food's COO Amy Chen describes consumer hesitation as the "ick factor". 
• Consumers are still not used to the way lab-grown meat is produced and find it revolting. However, those involved in its production say the hesitation lasts only till the consumer tries it and finds it the same as regular meat.
• There is also a question about the religious outlook on lab-grown meat. Muslim communities eat halal meat, while the Jewish community eats kosher meat, which basically describes a certain way an animal must be killed. 
• The verdict on where lab-grown meat stands when it comes to religious definition is still not known. 

Lab-grown meat is seen as a sustainable and nutritious dietary option in the future. Traditional meat production often makes up for about 15% of man-made global greenhouse-gas emissions. And lab-grown meat is expected to reduce emissions as well as spare the animals a short and terrifying life of misery. 

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