Photo by Kyle Mackie on Unsplash
The debate between vegans and meat-eaters or between the plant-based and the animal-based industries has existed for decades, with each side presenting justifiable concerns. Animal protein is more readily acquired than plant-based protein, but concerns about climate change and animal mistreatment are problems that we cannot overlook.
Eat Just was Hampton Creek, a vegan company founded in 2011. The company rebranded in 2017 to Eat Just and evolved to grow meats in a laboratory using cells derived from living animals. The company was first approved for lab-grown chicken in Singapore in 2020 and has been selling out in Singapore since.
Eat Just received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to sell its “no-kill” meat in the USA, which is tremendous news. It is currently the only company worldwide with the approval to sell cultured meats anywhere. Before the end of the year, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) will also have to inspect and approve them. They already have approval for Just Eggs, their plant-based eggs.
Josh Tetrick, co-founder and CEO of Eat Just said in a written statement. “I am so proud to bring this new way of making meat to my country and to do it with a hero of mine, Chef José Andrés.” World-renown Chef André is a board member and Eat Just will be on the menu at his Washington, D.C. restaurant, Jaleo.
