Lab Grown Meat (and Dairy) Have Arrived. What to Know.

Lab-grown meat—also called cultivated meat or cell-cultured meat—is now entering the U.S. food supply. While only a limited number of products have been approved, the technology is advancing quickly. Let’s understand what it is and how to identify it.

What Is Cultivated Meat?

Unlike traditional meat, cultivated meat is grown in as few as 2 weeks in a bioreactor. FYI, we are talking about beef and chicken here.

Scientists collect a small sample of animal cells and grow those cells in stainless steel tanks called bioreactors. The cells are fed nutrients, vitamins, amino acids, and growth factors (sometimes by gene editing) that allow them to endlessly multiply and develop into muscle tissue.

Depending on the product, the process can take anywhere from two to eight weeks.

KEYWORDS TO LOOK FOR:

Cultivated meat may appear under several different names on product packaging, including:

• Cultivated meat
• Cell-cultivated
• Cultured meat
• Cell-cultured
• Cell-based
• Cultured animal cells
• Animal cell-cultured
• Animal derived
• Extended meat
• Finely textured meat

There is currently no standardized front-of-package labeling requirement. So reading the full product name, or back of label ingredients are necessary to determine if it’s cell cultured or traditional meat.

What About Dairy?

The same technology is also being used to produce dairy proteins without cows.

The process is called precision fermentation, and it programs microorganisms such as yeast or fungi to produce proteins like whey and casein that are chemically identical to those found in cow's milk.

KEYWORDS TO LOOK FOR:

• Precision fermented
• Animal-free dairy protein
• Non-animal whey protein
• Cell-cultured dairy

Several companies are developing these products, including Perfect Day, Remilk, New Culture, Formo, and Wilk.

Seafood Is Following

Cultivated seafood is also moving toward commercialization.

The FDA has already issued a "no questions" letter for cultivated salmon, an important regulatory milestone before products enter the marketplace.

Where Is It Banned/Restricted?

In the United States, the FDA and USDA have approved the sale of certain cultivated meat products.

However, eight states are leading the charge to restrict or ban the sale of cultured meat and and dairy—including Florida, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Montana, Indiana, Nebraska, and South Dakota—have enacted restrictions or bans. Lawmakers have cited reasons such as protecting livestock industries, addressing consumer transparency, and uncertainty about long-term health and economic impacts.

Internationally, Italy and Hungary have also prohibited cultivated meat, while the European Union has not yet approved any cultivated meat products for sale.

Investment Is Growing

The cultivated meat industry has attracted billions of dollars in investment from venture capital firms and major food companies.

Investors have included Tyson Foods, Cargill, and individuals such as Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, alongside numerous biotechnology investors seeking to develop alternative protein technologies.

What Are the Safety Questions?

Like any emerging food technology, cultivated meat raises important questions.

Scientists continue to study issues such as:

• Nutritional composition
• Quality control
• Microbial contamination
• Cell culture media residue
• Consumer acceptance

The Bottom Line

Cultivated meat represents a new way of producing animal protein without raising or slaughtering entire animals. Supporters point to potential environmental and animal welfare benefits, while critics raise questions about safety, production methods, labeling transparency, and consumer choice. 

Understanding the terminology and reading food labels carefully will help us make informed decisions based on our own values and preferences.