The United States Department of Agriculture has said that two start-up companies can begin selling lab-grown meat in the country.
Good Meat and Upside Foods, a subsidiary of Eat Just, have already been granted approval to sell "cell-cultivated chicken" by the Food and Drug Administration. The lab-grown chicken is made using stem cells from the fat or muscle of an animal. The stem cells are put in a bioreactor, which helps them grow into edible pieces of meat.
Proponents of lab-grown meat say it is better for the environment and does not involve killing animals, making it an ethical alternative to traditional meat.
"This announcement that we're now able to produce and sell cultivated meat in the United States is a major moment for our company, the industry, and the food system," Eat Just CEO and co-founder Josh Tetrick said in a statement.
"This approval will fundamentally change how meat makes it to our table," Upside founder and CEO Uma Valeti said in a statement. "It's a giant step forward towards a more sustainable future - one that preserves choice and life."
Both companies have already inked deals with high-profile chefs.
Chef Jose Andres will serve Good Meat's lab-grown chicken at an undisclosed restaurant in Washington, D.C.
Upside Foods is teaming up with chef Dominique Crenn to serve its lab-grown chicken at his restaurant, Bar Crenn, in San Francisco.