Topic: Upside Foods

The USDA has approved the sale of lab-grown chicken produced by California-based companies Upside Foods and Good Meat. This cultivated meat is grown in stainless steel bioreactors using animal cells rather than traditional slaughter methods. Initial distribution is planned for high-end restaurants in San Francisco and Washington D.C. associated with chefs Jose Andres and Dominique Crenn.

Silicon Valley startups Eat Just and Upside Foods have received FDA clearance for human consumption of lab-grown chicken. The process involves cultivating animal cells in bioreactors to create meat without harming animals, though the USDA has yet to approve it for commercial sale. Critics question the safety and economic viability of the technology, noting that it currently operates at a loss in Singapore.

The FDA has approved lab-grown meat for human consumption for the first time, starting with Upside Foods' cultivated chicken. The process involves "immortalizing" primary cells from a chicken and growing them in a cultivator. Sir Richard Branson is featured in a promotional video endorsing the product as a way to "save the world" and the rainforests.