It is now possible to buy and consume cultured chicken in the United States. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) granted approval to two startups from California to sell their lab-grown chicken. The official term for cultured meat in the US is now ‘cell-cultivated’.

Last year, the Food and Drug Administration declared the cultivation process of Upside Foods and Good Meat as safe. Until now, Singapore was the only country in the world allowing the sale of cultured chicken. Good Meat’s cultured meat has been available on the menu of a restaurant there since 2020. In Europe no novel food approval is granted, hence cultured meat is not yet allowed in Europe.

“This is the moment when science fiction becomes reality” says Amy Chen, Chief Operating Officer of Upside, in an interview with Vox. “It’s a turning point for us to reconsider the future of food.”

The process of cultured meat involves growing muscle cells in a lab using a small sample taken from a live animal. These cells are then nurtured in a nutrient-rich environment, allowing them to multiply and form muscle tissue. The resulting cultured meat is essentially identical to conventional meat in terms of taste and texture, but it is produced without the need for raising and slaughtering animals.

Dutch involvement in the development of cultured meat is noteworthy. The concept of cultured meat is however far from new. As early as 1931, Winston Churchill predicted that one day humanity would grow meat in a factory instead of breeding and slaughtering animals. It wasn’t until 70 years later, in 2000, that the first cell-based fish and meat nuggets became a reality. The race to produce cultured meat truly took off when Dutch scientist Mark Post, building upon the patents of Dutchman Willem van Eelen, cooked the first lab-grown beef hamburger in 2013. That single burger cost an astonishing amount of money to create: € 250,000.

The idea of slaughter-free, ecologically responsible, and nutritionally complete “real” meat created in a lab inspired dozens of startups. However, despite nearly $3 billion in global investments, the real breakthrough is still pending. Upside Foods and Good Meat are also starting on a small scale. Upside’s cultured chicken will be served by 3-star chef Dominique Crenn (where a meal costs around $300), and Good Meat has partnered with celebrity chef Jose Andres, who will feature the cultured chicken on the menu at one of his restaurants in Washington.

The price tag of cultured meat remains a contentious issue for now. Mass consumption will have to wait because cultured chicken is much more expensive than conventionally raised chicken. In the US, you can buy a pound of regular chicken breast for less than $4-6. However, there are numerous costly hurdles to overcome for cultured chicken, from building enough bioreactors to finding inexpensive ingredients to feed and accelerate cell growth, to preventing bacterial contamination.

Upside Foods expects to produce 50,000 pounds of cultured chicken per year (1000 pounds per week, 100kg per day) and aims to grow to 400,000 pounds per year. Good Meat has not yet disclosed its production capacity. For comparison, the US produces approximately 50 billion pounds of conventional chicken meat annually. Hence a large scale up challenge.

Hence, for now, no-kill cultured chicken is only available in restaurants at an exclusive price. The experience is expected to be valuable and likely compensates for the costs. It is still not a meat for the masses; cultured chicken is far too expensive for that.