United States regulator approves consumption and sale of lab-grown meat
The United States is all set to become the second country in the world to allow the sale and consumption of lab-grown meat. The US food and drug administration (FDA) said on Friday that it will allow a California-based company called Upside Foods to sell lab-grown meet after all the necessary safety and quality checks. According to CNN, the meat will be produced in a controlled laboratory environment with the help of cells taken from chickens and will not involve any actual slaughter.
“The world is experiencing a food revolution and the US food and drug administration is committed to supporting innovation in the food supply,” Robert Califf, the FDA commissioner told reporters.
The FDA also informed the media that it is currently “engaged in discussions with multiple firms” when it comes to other lab-grown meat products. If approved, the US can soon become a massive market for lab-grown meat – a product that is being considered to be a more environment-friendly option.
There have also been reports of lab-grown seafood but no product has come close to approval.
Upside Foods, which was formerly known as Memphis Meats, welcomed the FDA decision but said that it will need few months after the approval to start delivery of the product to supermarkets. According to The Guardian, Upside Foods will also need an approval from the US Department of Agriculture.
The announcement came just days after the topic of creating environment-friendly food was discussed at the COP27 summit in Egypt. The FDA approval of the lab-grown meat products is being considered to be a step in the right direction with more companies also joining the industry in the near future.
