Last week, the federal government gave two companies the green light to produce and sell lab-grown chicken in the United States — a development that could revolutionize the way Americans eat.
Here's the deal: Lab-grown, or "cultivated," meat is developed from animal cells and grown in a kind of brewery-like environment. Critically, it removes the need to slaughter animals, and could drastically reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses that come from animal agriculture.
My colleague Danielle Wiener-Bronner, who covers the food industry, knows you have questions. Here are some answers:
Is it vegetarian?
No. Cultivated meat uses animal cells, so it is not considered vegetarian.
Does it taste like regular meat?
Basically, yes. That's according to former CNN reporter Julia Horowitz, who tried a cell-based meatball made by Ivy Farm Technologies, a British company.
In her words, the meatball was "a bit dense and on the smaller side — not exactly the classic version you imagine melting in your mouth at an Italian restaurant." But, she noted, it tasted like traditional meat, and the flavor was "full and savory."
A CNET reporter who tried cultivated chicken said "this actually does" taste like chicken.
What has been approved in the US?
The nascent industry is regulated by both the USDA and the FDA.
Over the past several months, the agencies have been approving the products incrementally. This month, two companies, Upside Foods and Good Meat, got USDA approval for their labels.
That doesn't mean the floodgates are necessarily opened for all types of cultivated meat.
"We would need to go through another regulatory process for beef, pork, [or] any other kind of animal protein,"said Andrew Noyes, head of global communications and public affairs at Good Meat's parent company, Eat Just.
Good Meat is in the early stages of developing cultivated beef, he said.
When will I be able to try it?
Soon-ish, depending on where you live.
Neither Upside Foods nor Good Meat have given a date for when their products will be available, but they each have a plan in place to get products out to the public, and Good Meat said Wednesday that production started immediately.
Good Meat previously announced a partnership with chef and restaurateur José Andrés to bring its product to a Washington, DC, restaurant.
Upside Foods is planning to introduce its product at Bar Crenn, a San Francisco restaurant, but did not share a launch date yet. Eventually, the company plans to work with other restaurants and make its products available in supermarkets.
How much does it cost to make?
A lot. We don't have specific numbers, but Noyes noted that "getting to price parity for us, from a cost of goods standpoint and cost of production standpoint, is a major challenge." He added that the company has a "path to get there."
How much will it cost for me?
Despite the high cost of production, your first bite shouldn't break the bank.
Good Meat's cultivated chicken will be priced at a slight premium or comparable to other chicken items at the José Andrés restaurant.
"To be clear, our company is not making money on these sales, we're taking a loss," Noyes said. "At this stage ... we want to get it out there. We want people to taste it, we want people to experience it, we want people to tell their friends and family about it."
Upside Foods is not disclosing its cost of production, but noted that its product will be sold at a premium compared with traditional chicken.
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