Ames, Iowa — The USDA has given two California companies the go ahead to begin selling chicken that’s grown from animal cells in a lab, but it will be a while before what’s called cultivated chicken lands in Iowa grocery stores.
Chad Hart, an economist with Iowa State University Extension, suggests there are some headwinds for the product.
Hart points to what’s happened with plant-based products marketed as meatless meat. Products like “Beyond Meat” were introduced in 2019, but data recently released by the Plant Based Foods Association shows meatless meat sales in US grocery stores declined by one percent in 2022, after zero growth in 2021.
Hart made his comments during a recent appearance on Iowa Press on Iowa PBS.
