FDA Declares Lab-Produced Chicken Safe to Eat

Who knows? Maybe next year’s Thanksgiving turkey will be grown in a lab. 

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has brought it a step closer to your plate. It declared a lab-grown chicken made by Upside Foods safe for humans to eat. Upside Foods is a startup. Many competitors are promising everything from lab-grown steak to seafood. They're looking for approval, too. The FDA seems willing to give it. 

“The world is experiencing a food revolution and the US Food and Drug Administration is committed to supporting innovation in the food supply,” an FDA official said.

Lab meat is also called “cultivated meat.” Critics call it fake or Frankenmeat. It's made from harvested animal cells. The cells are grown in a lab. Then, it's shaped into meat. Supporters say the process could end the mass slaughter of animals. They say it could also end large-scale animal farming. That activity contributes greatly to climate change. Lab meat could also lead to the creation of healthier cuts of meat, they say.

Skeptics wonder whether the public will accept the products. Many consumers don't like genetically modified foods. Cultivated meat is currently only sold in Singapore. It also costs much more than regular meat.

Meanwhile, it could take months, if not longer, for lab-grown chicken to reach your fork. Upside Foods will have to get more approval from government officials before their chicken can be sold. That includes safety inspections.

Once fully approved, Upside Foods said it will first sell its chicken in restaurants. Then, it'll head to grocery stores. 

Photo from Reuters.