Image Source: iStock | Sonja Filitz
What Came First, The Chicken or The Lab?
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved two companies to sell “cell-cultivated” chicken for human consumption.
The approval gives Good Meat, a division of Eat Just, and Upside Foods license to grow chicken parts from cells in a laboratory and sell them for food. Last November, the USDA announced that so-called lab-grown chicken was safe to eat.
Good Meat and Upside Foods are two of the companies that have been working on developing a lab-grown alternative to modern slaughter practices. Proponents of the technology say it provides a safe means to feed the world’s population without harm to animals and with a much lower environmental impact than traditional farming and ranching methods.
“This announcement that we’re now able to produce and sell cultivated meat in the United States is a major moment for our company, the industry and the food system. We have been the only company selling cultivated meat anywhere in the world since we launched in Singapore in 2020, and now it’s approved to sell to consumers in the world’s largest economy. We appreciate the rigor and thoughtfulness that both the FDA and USDA have applied during this historic two-agency regulatory process,” said Josh Tetrick, co-founder and CEO of GOOD Meat and Eat Just.
Good Meat said that it immediately began producing chicken for Chef José Andrés, owner of José Andrés Group, which operates more than 30 restaurants nationwide and operates under a mission “To Change the World Through the Power of Food.” The chicken supplied by Good Meat will go on the menu at one of Mr. Andrés’ restaurants in Washington, D.C. The exact location has not yet been disclosed.
“This approval will fundamentally change how meat makes it to our table. It’s a giant step forward towards a more sustainable future – one that preserves choice and life,” said Dr. Uma Valeti, CEO and Founder of Upside Foods.
Patrons at Bar Crenn in San Francisco will be the first to order Upside Foods’ chicken. The company has struck a partnership with Dominique Crenn, a three-Michelin-star chef. Upside Foods said it has an order from another source that will be revealed later.
The chicken the two companies sell may eventually come with a kosher label. The leader of Israel’s Chief Rabbinate declared in January that meat grown in labs was pareve, which means that it is not considered milk or meat and can be eaten together with either under Jewish dietary laws.
Discussion Questions
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Do you foresee a future where cell-cultivated animal parts become the primary source of meat and fish for human consumption? How long will it take before cell-cultivated meat and fish are available for home preparation?
Poll
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Dave Bruno
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Paula Rosenblum
Co-founder, RSR Research
Well, truth be told, it’s better for the environment than having thousands of cows pump methane into the atmosphere, but I’m not much of a judge on this. I haven’t eaten meat for a very, very, very long time, mostly because I don’t believe in raising things to kill them.
Still, the concept seems creepy. From a business perspective, I wouldn’t touch it. From a customer perspective, I wouldn’t touch it.
Cory Booker, senator from New Jersey, had not eaten meat since the 1990s when he tried the Good Meat chicken in March. The senator, who supports cell-cultivated meat, said he was “blown away” by the taste. I wonder how people who don’t eat meat on grounds related to animal slaughter will feel on the subject.
Like Cory Booker, everyone seems to talk about the wonderful taste. I wonder what strange chemicals we will be ingesting if we eat this stuff.
That’s really interesting. Since I haven’t eaten meat in a lot longer than that, and unless it tastes better than Beyond, I don’t want to put it in my body
Slaughter is the end of a long process that includes breeding, awful living conditions, followed by a sad death.
I can’t even go to the Highline in NY anymore because we used to drive through the district when I was a child. They don’t call it the meat packing district for nothing. The Highline was the transportation of the carcasses from the slaughterhouse to the packing plants.
A reminder that there are still a few farms/ranches that don’t have the “corporate industry” approach to breeding, raising, and slaughter. Although you have to search to find them, e-commerce has made access easier than ever.
Chicken parts grown from cells in a laboratory and sold for food? That’s a big no for me.
Give this six months and you will have the opportunity to purchase (hunt? NO! 🙂 ) your lab based meat at home. Difficult to predict whether this will become the “primary” source of meat/fish–many hurdles to cross (taste, and cost being two big ones) before we get there. Some examples:
In the 70’s salmon was a delicacy in my house (when I was a wee lad…) now it is a staple due to farm raised salmon. I was a fan of “Beyond meat” until I understood how processed it is. I still eat it but not as often.
Finally, I cannot get the old movie “Soylent Green” out of my head. Ew.
Soylent Green is people!!!!!!
I love chicken tenders but I don’t see lab grown chicken tenders with a side of mashed potatoes and corn on a menu anytime soon. Or- would a restaurant be required to tell you they were lab grown? At any rate, that would be a no thanks.
I hope the restaurant will tell you. My fear is that the government will rule that it doesn’t have to be labels as lab grown.
Richard,
You are braver than I am. Have you ever seen chicken tenders being made?
Yes, actually I have…. not pretty.. Still – I try not to think about that when I eat them.
Fair enough. You’re still a braver man than I am.
Depends on the “tenders”. There are plenty of options that are straight white meat, minimally processed, like the ones that Chick-Fil-A uses. Of course, there are also the ground chicken and molded-by-machine versions, typically used by McDonalds. Now I’m somewhat troubled by how much I know about chicken tenders…
If you look at the share price of Impossible Meat, the market has weighed in on this already. Regardless of consumer preferences, however, there may be a time when our exploding population reaches its tipping point for organic food supply. And cultivated food seems better than bugs–just my opinion.
As one who doesn’t eat meat for health and humane reasons and a zealous advocate for a sustainable future, there’s clearly a lot to like about this concept: less animal captivity and cruelty, fewer antibiotics in the world’s diet, less methane, etc. The questions I have revolve around the health/safety of lab-grown meat and, of course, their taste. Chef Andres’ endorsement gives me some confidence in the taste, but USDA and FDA approvals (sadly) do not inspire confidence in their seal of approval for health and safety. If they prove safe and not unhealthy, however, I do see consumers accepting cell-cultivated proteins in the future. We only need look at the popularity of lab-grown meat alternatives for a case study.
Here’s a parallel question- has the buying public accepted lab grown diamonds for example? I remember reading about the process some time ago, and it’s almost like the real thing and costs the nearly the same. Anyone?
Factory food has ruined America’s health. Will there be unpronounceable chemicals in my cell-cultivated chicken breasts?
Gene,
Bet on it.
I have to wonder about the process by-products and waste. Can it be used as fertilizer for growing other food like animal waste or will it be the toxic variety that will need to be transported and stored for generations to come? It’s important to consider the total cost.
This is the future. Personally, I feel a bit repulsed about this, but not for any good reason, except it feels a step closer to the dystopian future I’ve been exposed to in SciFi books and movies for the last 1/2 century. It is clearly the right thing to do from an environmental and sustainability standpoint. If the taste and texture are good, and the products are safe… I suppose that’s the biggest question in my mind.
Im unclear what the target demographic is for this. I haven’t eaten meat since the 80s and have been vegan for nearly fifteen years. For me personally, anything that too closely resembles dead animals is off putting. I have no desire to consume real chicken cells.
With that said, lab grown meat doesn’t harm sentient beings and, as it’s more sustainable, I see it lowering barriers to plant based eating for the carnivorous sect. I’ve met many a person who cannot interface with a vegetarian without detailing every meat product they “could never give up.” When the only difference is sentience and suffering, maybe these folks will be able to slowly make the switch.
Now, how can we make lab grown meat sound more appetizing? We need to normalize it, with videos of sprawling fields and happy American families chowing down on lab made burgers.
Jasmine,
Those cells come from animals and some how cell harvesting seems to imply at least the potential of harming a sentient being. So, I also wonder what the target market looks like.
Agreed. It brings up some fascinating ethical questions for plant based eaters: What creates sentience? A brain? A heart? Have they done studies on whether the cells experience pain?
I wonder what the price point looks like, as I feel like this will be a key factor for meat eaters. I also wonder if they’ll create a marketing campaign around the lack of chemicals in the product, as that seems to be most commenter’s primary concern. What fascinating a time to be alive!
I don’t think you can ever make Frankenchicken more attractive. At least not to me.
This makes me nervous as a consumer. I understand using plant-based products that look at taste like meat. This is made from chicken cells and “grown” in a lab. Can it be called chicken if it never really was a chicken? This will be up to the PR and marketing team for Good Meat, Upside Foods, and any other player in this market.
People in developed countries will not accept lab-grown meat. But in the third world?
People there will eat it rather than starve.
At the right price…
No … unless there are literally no other options available. And, let’s start with nomenclature. Accurate description does not great branding make. “Cell cultivated animal parts,” may have a nice ring to it if you are Dr. Frankenstein, but it sounds about as healthy and inviting as, “irradiated,” food. Scientists should never be allowed to brand anything. Secondly, for vegans and vegetarians, I would assume this is still a taboo protein source since, no matter how you slice it (sorry, couldn’t resist), it is still an animal sourced food stuff. Taste is obviously critical, but I am leery of all these celebrity chef endorsements. A three star Michelin chef could make a compost heap taste good, but does that translate into regular folks’ kitchens? I personally have never tasted a meat substitute that I likes as well or better than meat, but hope springs eternal. Finally, given recent global experiences with laboratories working with animals, one has to ask themselves what could possibly go wrong with this idea? The answer … maybe everything.
Interesting development. A few natural questions:
1. Have there been studies backing up the claims of less environmental impact than the “real” chicken option on a pound-for-pound basis, using current real-world costs, i.e. raw resource, energy, real estate, labor, and by-product costs/benefits? Consumers are smarter than ever and will see through green-washing attempts quickly.
2. Have the courts dealt with the ability of these “cell-cultivated” options to claim to be “chicken” or will they be forced to use a different name and label? There’s a lot to be learned from the parallel case with milk alternatives.
3. Is there any data from panels of consumers, broken down by segment, that show this is applicable to a large enough market to justify the investment required? Seems that every “new” food product has some supporters but the real question is whether there is enough real consumer demand to sustain profitability.
Until I know more about the above, I remain doubtful and a bit cynical.
That future may come, but I’m guessing these cultivated burgers and nuggets will make their debut at a drive-in on Mars…because I think they’re on about the same pace as space colonization.
Whether this is something I’m sorry to miss out on, or relieved, I haven’t yet decided.
This reminds me when the term “irradiated meat” was launched into view for ensuring food safety and healthiness for our proteins. Public perception didn’t go over well no matter how positive it was.
Most people don’t want to know certain details about messing with their proteins, and are skeptical of new scientific methods deployed to change what nature was already successfully providing.
This topic is fascinating and will be widely debated I’m sure. I’ll be honest, it was hard for me to read this and think about using animal cells to create animal parts. It’s going to take a bit more convincing for me to cross over.