As Florida's ban on "lab-grown" meat is set to go into effect, one manufacturer hosted a last hurrah—at least for now—with a cultivated-meat tasting party in Miami, the AP reports. California-based Upside Foods hosted dozens of guests Thursday evening at a rooftop reception in the city's Wynwood neighborhood, known for its street art, breweries, nightclubs, and trendy restaurants. "This is delicious meat," Upside Foods CEO and founder Uma Valeti said. "And we just fundamentally believe that people should have a choice to choose what they want to put on their plate." So-called "cell-cultivated" products are grown in steel tanks using cells from a living animal, a fertilized egg, or a storage bank. The cells are fed with special blends of water, sugar, fats, and vitamins. Once they've grown, they're formed into cutlets, nuggets, and other shapes.
The US approved the sale of "cell-cultivated" or "cell-cultured" meat for the first time in June 2023, allowing Upside Foods and another California company, Good Meat, to sell cultivated chicken. Earlier this year, however, Florida and Alabama banned such sales, and other states and federal lawmakers also are looking to restrict it, arguing the product could hurt farmers and pose a safety risk to the public. "It's pretty clear to us that the governor and the government have been misinformed," Valeti said. "And all we're asking for is a chance to have a direct conversation and say, 'this is proven science, this is proven safety.'" He says cultivated meat addresses ethical, health, and environmental issues surrounding the meat industry. (Guests at the tasting party had good things to say.)
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