Lab-grown meat approved for consumption: What is it made of and how is it produced?
The US FDA has deemed a type of lab-grown meat safe for human consumption. Here is what you need to know about how it is made and how it tastes.
Something out of a science fiction novel or the future of gastronomy, lab-grown meat is here, and the US Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA) has given its (preliminary) stamp of approval.
The idea of lab-grown meat came about years ago as many began to examine the ethics of animal consumption in addition to calculating the meat industry’s carbon footprint. The FDA has been supportive of this project, saying that “the world is experiencing a food revolution” and the agency is “committed to supporting innovation in the food supply.”
On 16 November, the FDA announced they had “completed [their] first pre-market consultation of a human food made from cultured animal cells.”
Upside Foods, the company that received the preliminary authorization, submitted a chicken product to the FDA. Upside and other firms are working on other varieties of lab-grown meat, including beef, fish, and other types of poultry.
How is lab-grown meat produced?
The FDA describes the process of growing meat in four steps.
Manufacturers will typically begin by taking some animal sample cells (the process does not harm or threaten the animal). These cells are then examined and screened to ensure they are healthy and pass all safety protocols created by the FDA and the company. The samples that pass the screening are then sent to a cell “bank” to be used later.
Then, the cells that were selected are “placed in a tightly controlled and monitored environment.” This “environment” has all the conditions necessary to support “growth and cellular multiplication.”
Step three covers the cell multiplication process and the “additional substances (for example, protein growth factors, new surfaces for cell attachment, additional nutrients,” that are added to “enable the cells to differentiate into various cell types and assume characteristics of muscle, fat, or connective tissue cells.”
Lastly, after the cells “have differentiated into the desired type,” the material grown is “harvested” and taken out of the “controlled environment.” The material can then be processed and packaged using conventional methods used by the meat industry.
When will the products be available to consumers?
The approval given by the FDA does not mean that the meat products will be available to consumers anytime soon. There is a separate quality control process that is managed by the US Department of Agriculture.