FDA Signals that Lab-Grown Meat is Safe for Human Consumption
On Wednesday, the FDA released a statement regarding UPSIDE Foods which produces lab-grown, “slaughter-free” meat, created using cultured animal cells. The FDA has not yet approved UPSIDE Foods for market consumption, but has stated that this evaluation moves the company one step closer to approval.
“The voluntary pre-market consultation is not an approval process. Instead, it means that after our careful evaluation of the data and information shared by the firm, we have no further questions at this time about the firm’s safety conclusion.”
FDA
Prior to entering the U.S. market, the facility will need to meet all FDA requirements, as well as pass inspection standards for the United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS). The lab-grown meat will also need to be inspected thoroughly by the USDA-FSIS prior becoming available for consumers.
The FDA declines to approve plenty of natural foods for market consumption, such as raw milk or fresh fruit juice, but is more than willing to provide grants and work “collaboratively” in an effort to bring lab-grown faux meat to the market. The institution also approves known carcinogenic and endocrine disrupting chemicals that are placed in foods, drinks, cosmetics, clothing and more, without concern for the safety hazards.
Additives like food dyes, aspartame, high fructose corn syrup, guar gum, titanium dioxide, phenoxyethanol, synthetic fragrances and more are all approved for use by the FDA, despite the known harm each can cause to humans. Additionally, many synthetic ingredients included in food and products in the U.S. are banned, under review, or are required to have a warning label outlining the potential health consequences in many European countries.
Over the past two years, many Americans have questioned the validity of FDA’s stamp of approval, given the perceived rushed approval processes and lack of transparency from government entities. Now, the FDA’s stated goal is to “support innovation in food technologies” which concerns individuals already hesitant about the massive global push to consume i
