(WatchDogReport.org) – There are currently two producers of lab-grown meat — The companies GOOD Meat and UPSIDE Foods, who’ve both received FDA and USDA approval for their cell-cultivated meat products. They have partnered with the restaurant Bar Crenn in San Francisco and another restaurant in Washington D.C., owned by chef Jose Andres, to help introduce their products to the public. The “chicken” can be purchased at either restaurant. Currently, lab-grown chicken is the only cell-cultivated meat offered without obtaining additional permits.
The producers of cell-cultivated meat are promoting the “no kill” factor and claiming that lab-grown meat is better for the environment. The “chicken” produced by GOOD Meat and UPSIDE Foods are created from cells obtained from fertilized eggs. They claim this means that an animal will never have to suffer cramped and diseased conditions or be slaughtered for food.
This understanding may persuade some vegans, many of whom choose their lifestyle to support less animal cruelty, to eat the cell-cultivated meat. Still, others claim that since the cells for the meat were initially obtained from the egg of a live animal, it is still unacceptable.
The lab-grown meats will not be available in supermarkets for quite some time. Both companies are still working on the details required to manufacture the large quantities needed to sustain such an endeavor.
For now, the “chicken” can be grown and manipulated into a batter consistency and formed into nuggets or a single piece of meat. Those who have tried the product claim that it does, in fact, taste like chicken, although the texture may still need a little work.
When the meat products become available to the general public, they will be labeled as “USDA inspected” and “cell-cultivated” to distinguish the product from traditional meat but will not be stamped as vegetarian-approved. The USDA may also consider adding a label that reads “cruelty free.”
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