The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved lab-grown meat for human consumption for the first time ever, in what it has called a “food revolution”.
The food safety agency yesterday (Wednesday, November 16) announced that it has completed its first pre-market consultation of a human food made from cultured chicken cells from Upside Foods. It said it has no further questions at present.
However, before this food can enter the market, the facility in which it is made also needs to meet applicable US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and FDA requirements.
The manufacturing establishment also needs a grant of inspection from USDA-Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
“In addition to the FDA’s requirements, including facility registration for the cell culture portion, the manufacturing establishment needs a grant of inspection from USDA-Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) for the harvest and post-harvest portions and the product itself requires a USDA mark of inspection,” the FDA said.
“The regulation of cell culture technology is being done collaboratively and in close partnership with USDA-FSIS for food made from cultured livestock or poultry cells.”
Lab-grown meat
Advancements in cell culture technology are enabling food developers to use animal cells obtained from livestock, poultry and seafood in the production of food, with these products expected to be ready for the US market in the near future.
Upside Foods was founded in 2015 with the aim of reducing the carbon footprint of meat production.
The company starts its production process by taking a sample of primary cells from a chicken or fertilised egg.
From the sample, the team selects ideal cells for developing a commercial cell line, the winning cells are chosen based on their ability to produce high-quality meat and grow predictably and consistently.
Once the cell line is established, the company said it is able to draw from it for years – if not decades – to come, which reduces the need to take additional cell samples from animals.
Once Upside Foods has the cell line, the meat production process can begin.
The cells and cell feed are placed in a cultivator, which maintains the right temperature and oxygen levels for the cells to grow and multiply. After around three weeks in the cultivators, the tissue is ready to harvest.
“When removed from the cultivators, the color is slightly paler but otherwise similar to that of raw chicken,” Upside Foods said.
“Once harvested, the meat is ready to be inspected, prepared, packed, served, and enjoyed.”
The FDA said is ready to work with additional firms developing cultured animal cell food and production processes to ensure their products are safe and lawful, and plans to issue guidance to assist firms that intend to produce human foods from cultured animal cells to prepare for pre-market consultations.
The published draft of this guidance will provide a formal opportunity to the public for comment.
Food labelling
The FDA’s approach to regulating products derived from cultured animal cells involves a thorough pre-market consultation process, as mentioned. However, it will also over the products’ labelling requirements
“USDA-FSIS will oversee the post-harvest processing and labelling of human food products derived from the cells of livestock and poultry,” it said.
“This closely coordinated regulatory approach will ensure that cell-cultured products derived from the cell lines of livestock and poultry meet federal regulations and are accurately labelled.”
