The FDA previously gave the green light to lab-grown chicken made by Upside Foods in November. Upside Foods and GOOD Meat both use cells from chickens to create the cultured chicken products. Once cells are extracted, GOOD Meat picks the cells most likely to produce healthy, sustainable and tasty meat, the company explained. The cells are immersed in nutrients inside a tank. They grow and divide, creating the cultured chicken, which can be harvested after four to six weeks. GOOD Meat’s chicken is already sold in Singapore. “Today’s news is more than just another regulatory decision — it’s food system transformation in action,” says Bruce Friedrich, president and founder of the Good Food Institute, a non-profit think tank that focuses on alternatives to traditional meat production.
“Consumers and future generations deserve the foods they love made more sustainably and in ways that benefit the public good — ways that preserve our land and water, ways that protect our climate and global health,” Friedrich says.