An employee of the Israeli startup Aleph Farms fills a nutrient solution into a container. Stem cells of a cow are supposed to divide in the nutrient solution. The startup wants to grow a steak from the stem cells in the laboratory in three to four weeks. picture alliance/dpa | Ilia Yechimovich
Factory farming is one of the major drivers of climate change. Companies have high hopes for the in-vitro breeding of laboratory meat.
Such products can now be sold in the USA, reports “ntv”.
The first pieces of climate-friendly chicken will probably go to a select clientele.
Global meat consumption is a driver of climate change – mainly because of the enormous land use for factory farming and the associated emissions of methane, among other things. Artificially produced meat from the laboratory, also known as in-vitro meat, is intended to remedy this, according to the proponents.
Now, for the first time, US authorities have granted approval for the sale of laboratory meat grown from cell cultures, reports “ntv”. Startups Upside Foods and Good Meat have been given a license to sell lab-grown chicken, the US Department of Agriculture confirmed. This is a first in the US.
step towards new future
“This approval will fundamentally change how meat gets on our table,” said Upside Foods founder and chef Uma Valeti. “It’s a huge step towards a more sustainable future – a future that preserves choice and lives.”
Good Meat boss Josh Tetrick said his company had been the only one in the world to sell lab meat since it was approved in Singapore in 2020. “And now it’s licensed to be sold to consumers in the world‘s largest economy.”
Upside Foods has already received its first order from French chef Dominique Crenn’s Bar Crenn restaurant in San Francisco, California.