Lab-grown meat products approved for sale in the U.S. are manufactured from cultured chicken cells, according to the companies that make them, regulators and a Reuters correspondent who has reported on the meat-making process, contrary to online claims that human cells are also used.
In June 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved both Upside Foods and Good Meat to sell their cultivated chicken, which had already been deemed safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (here).
Social media posts in July speculated, without offering evidence: “The lab grown ‘chicken’ that was recently approved to be sold at restaurants is actually grown from human cells.” Examples can be seen (here), (here) and(here).
Regulators told Reuters that they had ensured the product labels stating the contents are made from chicken cells are “truthful.” Both companies deny that any human cells are involved in their products’ manufacture.
“This claim is completely false,” Good Meat spokesperson Carrie Kabat said in an email. “Good Meat cultivated chicken is made from chicken cells and does not use human cells in any stage of our process.”
Upside Foods spokesperson Brooke Whitney also said by email: “This claim is false. Cultivated meat is made from real animal cells. For the case of our cultivated chicken, it’s produced using chicken cells.”
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