We speak to UPSIDE Foods about how it makes cultivated meat. The product is genetically identical to the much-loved meat you find central to global cuisine, but avoids animal slaughter and could benefit the environment.

In the final episode of Season 1, UPSIDE Foods’ co-founder and chief executive Uma Valeti tells Scottish Mortgage’s deputy manager Lawrence Burns how his firm developed a way to create meat without needing farmed livestock. They explore how the cultivation process works and discuss how a US regulator’s approval paves the way for the product to sell to restaurants and, eventually, supermarkets.

The two examine the implications for the broader $2tn meat industry and the potential for the business to enhance the health profiles of different meats using its innovative technology.

Valeti, a former medic, founded UPSIDE Foods in 2015. Almost a decade later, it takes stem cells from chickens and grows them in a controlled environment to create meat. The technology involved is species-agnostic. Fish, beef and other produce are on the company’s menu for future development.

UPSIDE Foods opened its first large-scale production facility in Emeryville, California, a couple of years ago. It is now seeking final US government approval to let it sell its chicken for public consumption.

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Read more:

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FDA completes first pre-market consultation for human food made using animal cell culture technology

Credits:

• Presenter: Claire Shaw
• Audio production agency: Listen
• Producer: Phil Sansom
• Executive producer: Suzy Grant
• Production manager: Niamh Kidd
• Editorial lead: Malcolm Borthwick