Upside Foods, a company specializing in lab-grown meats, is awaiting approval from the FDA to begin selling its first cultivated meat products, one of which is a chicken fillet, reports NPR.
The CEO of the company, Uma Valeti, a cardiologist, came up with the idea for cultivated meat after observing the growth of heart cells in a lab over 15 years ago. Now the space is filled with competition from over 80 companies around the world.
The recent increase in investments comes at a time when consumers are becoming more concerned with how the food they eat interacts affects the environment, according to NPR. A study by Nature found that around 33 percent of all human-induced greenhouse gas emissions result from food production. Beef, in particular, has a large impact because of the land required for cows and the animals’ production of methane.
Consumer research from the Good Food Institute finds that 88 percent of Gen Z consumers and 72 percent of baby boomers are “somewhat open” to trying cultivated meat.
On the regulation side, the FDA and USDA are working together to instate a regulatory framework “to help move these innovative products along into the U.S. market, as long as we’re making sure that everything can be done safely and with appropriate labeling,” said Susan Mayne, director of the center for food safety and applied nutrition at the FDA, according to the report.
An executive order from the Biden administration calling for advancing solutions in climate change and food security was also seen to signal a path toward cultivated meat’s approval. Full Story
Related: Makers Leverage Science to Lighten Environmental Tread; Steakholder Foods Unveils Omakase Cultured Beef