In June 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved two lab-grown meats for American sale. The move makes the United States only the second country to approve lab-grown meat for sale, following Singapore.
The chicken products will be available for sale in two restaurants only for now: Bar Crenn in San Francisco and one of José Andrés’ restaurants in Washington, D.C.
The poultry-like lab-grown meat is produced by California companies Upside Foods and Good Meat. “A lab-grown chicken nugget starts the classic way: with an egg. Food scientists sample stem cells from a fertilized chicken egg and then test the cells for resilience, taste, and the ability to divide and create more cells. Next the scientists can freeze the best cell lines for future use. When it’s time to start production, food scientists submerge the cells in a stainless steel vat of nutrient-rich broth containing all the ingredients cells need to grow and divide.
After a few weeks, the cells begin to adhere to one another and produce enough protein to harvest. Finally, the scientists texturize the meat by mixing, heating or shearing it—GOOD Meat uses an extruder—and press it into nugget or cutlet shape,” summarizes journalist Joanna Thompson.
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