A San Francisco tech startup, Memphis Meats, has announced it has begun production of the world’s first “clean” chicken and duck meat. True story: Memphis Meats announced at a press conference Wednesday that the meat—made from self-producing cells, without the use of animals—is on its way.
"We're working on several different poultry products, many of them have not been publicly unveiled yet, but I can say we plan to enter market with products that play on classic American staples," David Kay, a business analyst for the company, told MUNCHIES.
Among those “classic American staples” is the chicken tender. That’s right—a lab-engineered chicken finger is coming soon.
Kay told MUNCHIES they’re also working on some dishes on the fancier side, including duck à l'orange.
The company’s aim is to avoid "huge problems for the environment, animal welfare, and human health" that come with conventional breeding and killing of animals.
As the company’s Instagram bio reads: “We're developing a new method to produce the same delicious meat we've always loved—a method that doesn't require raising and slaughtering animals.”
These lab-grown meats aren’t coming too soon, though. They won’t be here until 2021 at the earliest. And they might be a little more costly than the meats you’re accustomed to seeing in the grocery store.
"The goal is to eventually be even more affordable than conventionally produced meat," Kay said. "But that won't be right at 2021; it will likely take a few years."
So don’t be surprised when, in a few years, one of your buddies says, “I could really go for some lab-grown chicken tenders right now.”
Could the future of Hot Ones involve lab-engineered chicken?!
