Do you know what you’re eating?
While we think we know, sometimes we actually know nothing about various ingredients commonly found in our food and drinks. For example, did you know that there might be some fish ingredients in your beer?
Since the 19th century, isinglass, a gelatin made using the swim bladder of certain fish, has been used as a fining agent to make beer clear and bright. It was used widely by brewers, even by popular mass-production beer brands.
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One of the most popular brands that formerly used isinglass is Guinness. In the meantime, the brand transitioned to vegan-friendly alternatives. However, even today, some craft beers are definitely not 100% vegan.
This particular example is not too gross, even to me, a vegetarian for the past 20 years. Now, imagine you are at a restaurant, dining with your friends and family. You are celebrating something — perhaps a new job, a marriage anniversary, or someone’s birthday.
It’s a lovely occasion, and you would want to treat yourself to delicious food. You order salmon. Not only is it tasty, but it is one of the healthiest foods out there.
When you order it, you are most likely expecting a fish either bred in captivity or wild-caught. Well, it appears that these don’t have to be the only options.
Image source: Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images
The FDA approves a lab-grown salmon for consumption
In case you have never heard of it, scientists have found a way to grow various types of meat in a laboratory. It’s a process often called cultured, cultivated, or cell-cultivated meat. It involves taking a small sample of cells from an actual real-life animal, and providing them with a nutrient-rich environment to multiply.
Dutch scientist Mark Post unveiled the first cultivated meat burger on live television in 2013, and the U.S. approved the sale of lab-grown meat for the first time in June 2023.
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In the most recent news, The Food and Drug Administration cleared a food tech company Wildtype to offer its lab-grown salmon in the United States. While other types of cultivated meat such as those from chicken and cows are already approved, this is the first time the agency greenlighted a cultivated seafood product.
The agency has “no questions” regarding Wildetype’s conclusion that its cell-cultivated salmon is “as safe as comparable foods produced by other methods,” reads the letter issued on May 28.
Some states are banning lab-grown meat
Wildtype celebrated the FDA approval by announcing a partnership with the James Beard award-winning chef Gregory Gourdet. Those interested in trying this special salmon can do it every Thursday night in June, and then every day starting in July. Reservations are required.
Wildtype plans to expand this extraordinary offering to four additional restaurants over the next four months.
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The San Francisco-based Wildtype is the fourth cultivated meat and seafood producer to receive the FDA approval, suggesting that the industry is slowly but steadily developing. However, many are raising concerns around the idea of producing and eating lab-grown meat.
While supporters of this new industry argue that meat cultivation can offer a sustainable alternative to traditional farming by reducing overfishing, ocean pollution, and climate change impacts, some experts are questioning the environmental impact.
Eric Muraille, a biologist affiliated with the Université Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium, is concerned about the energy consumption needed to maintain sterile conditions to prevent bacterial contamination.
Earlier this year, Nebraska and Mississippi banned the sale of lab-grown meat, joining Florida and Alabama, which placed their restrictions in 2024. Indiana approved a two-year ban on this new type of food, and a number of other states are considering similar actions, writes Food Dive.
At the end of the day, many may find something unsettling about eating lab-grown meat that’s marketed as being “molecularly identical” to regular meat. It may not be the best selling point.
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