Meat grown in the laboratory is approved by FDA for the first time: safe to eat

CTOnews.com, Nov. 17 (Xinhua)-- for the first time, laboratory-grown meat has received a safety seal from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). FDA believes that Upside Foods's laboratory-grown chicken is safe to eat, but it has not yet been approved for sale. FDA announced on Wednesday that it had "reviewed the information submitted to the agency and there are no further questions about the company's safety conclusions".

CTOnews.com learned that Upside Foods uses animal cell culture techniques to extract live cells from chickens and grow them in a controlled environment to make cultured meat, rather than using traditional slaughterhouse practices. Not only Upside Foods, but a number of companies such as Mosa Meat, Memphis Meats, Aleph Farms and Meatable are also working on the food technology, but laboratory-grown meat is not yet sold in the United States.

Upside Foods said: "Today our meat is one step closer to your table because Upside Foods has become the first company in the world to get the green light for USFDA, which means that FDA has assessed our production process and accepted our conclusion that our chicken is safe to eat."

Although this license means that laboratory-grown chicken may soon be available for sale and consumption, critical approvals are still required, most importantly from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

CTOnews.com learned that the decision is a positive sign for a growing number of laboratory-grown meat producers in the United States. The U. S. Food and Drug Administration says it is prepared to work with more companies that develop food and production processes for cultured animal cells. Advocates and producers of meat grown in the laboratory believe that this ultimately means that meat will be cleaner, drug-free and cruel-free. Laboratory-grown meat has been approved for sale in some countries, including Singapore.