Lab-Grown Chicken Taste Test: Inside Upside Foods Cultivated Meat Facility

Summary

Be Smart goes behind the scenes at Upside Foods to examine cultured meat and the taste experiment with lab-grown chicken. The video explains how real chicken is grown from animal cells in a facility, rather than raised on farms, and discusses environmental and ethical motivations, energy efficiency, and the cost challenges. Uma Valleri, co-founder of Upside Foods, describes isolating cells from chicken tissue, forming a feed medium, and using tissue production cultivators to assemble meat without animals. The taste test shows fried chicken sandwich and pan-seared chicken breast that taste like conventional chicken. The video also touches regulatory progress, market dynamics, and what the future could look like.

Overview

Be Smart explores cultivated meat by touring a state-of-the-art facility and presenting a real taste test. It frames the issue around the global demand for meat, its environmental footprint, and the ethical questions surrounding traditional farming. The narrative centers on cultivated meat as a potential path to reduce animal suffering and greenhouse gas emissions while retaining the sensory appeal of meat. The host notes the need to make meat production more efficient and less environmentally damaging, and introduces Upside Foods as a leading developer in this space. The video also acknowledges that the transition will require time, investment, and regulatory clarity before cultivated meat becomes a common staple on plates.

The science of cultivated meat

The program explains that cultivated meat starts with high quality animal cells taken from a chicken. These cells are cultured in a purified feed medium that supplies sugars, amino acids, vitamins and minerals, with oxygen dissolved in the liquid rather than carried by red blood cells. The cells are grown in tissue production cultivators, which provide a substrate that allows cells to organize into muscle tissue and connective structures. The researchers emphasize that the cells are not instructed like machines; instead they follow their natural developmental program when placed in the right environment. A key point is the need to remove all blood and bones except where appropriate, and to understand the cell types involved, including muscle cells, fat cells, fibroblasts, and extracellular components that give texture and flavor.

From biopsy to meat

The video documents taking a rice-grain sized biopsy to obtain tens of millions of cells, then screening for those that grow most efficiently and yield desirable texture. The process includes selecting cell populations that form muscle fibers and connective tissues, then delivering a purified food-like medium that nourishes the cells and allows them to proliferate and organize into meat. The narrative highlights how this bioengineering approach uses a scalable system designed to mimic the biology of tissue growth, while aiming to reduce the environmental footprint of meat production.

Taste test and sensory experience

The host experiences a fried chicken sandwich and a pan-seared chicken breast. The tester notes the familiar crunch, juiciness, and texture, and describes the taste as unabashedly chicken, with no obvious plant-based imitation. This moment is presented as a milestone showing that lab-grown meat can deliver conventional sensory qualities. The tasting is framed not only as a flavor test but as a validation of whether cultivated meat can meet consumer expectations while addressing sustainability concerns.

Economics, energy and tech challenges

The video discusses the energy intensity of first-generation cultivated-meat facilities, contrasting it with traditional farming. It notes that farmed broilers take about six weeks to reach market weight, while tissue growth can occur in roughly two weeks, permitting higher production cadence. The facility in the video is described as capable of handling up to about 400,000 pounds of cultivated meat at full capacity. However, costs remain high, with current estimates for cultivated meat ranging from 21 to 236 USD per kilogram depending on the product and production method. The host and expert interviewees point out that energy efficiency, feed purity, and scalable bioreactor design are critical to achieving cost competitiveness. They also acknowledge that even if energy sources are fossil-fuel-based, the overall environmental impact must be assessed against traditional animal agriculture and plant-based options.

Environmental, health and regulatory context

The discussion links animal agriculture to significant greenhouse gas emissions and land use, arguing cultivated meat could reduce emissions and improve climate outcomes if produced efficiently. The piece notes the evolving plant-based alternatives and the continued role of conventional meat in diets, emphasizing a gradual shift rather than a disappearance of traditional meat. The video also mentions regulatory milestones and notes that Upside Foods achieved USDA approval to begin selling their chicken after the video was made, highlighting the regulatory progress necessary for market adoption. The conversation frames cultivated meat as part of a broader strategy to transform food systems and reduce environmental impact while preserving cultural and culinary practices around meat.

Conclusion and forward look

Be Smart closes with reflections on curiosity, the pace of scientific innovation, and the potential of cultivated meat to contribute to a more sustainable food future. The host reiterates that while cultivated meat is not a panacea for all environmental problems, it represents a tangible, evidence-based approach to rethinking meat production and consumption. The takeaway is that lab-grown meat is a real technology with practical taste and texture, offering a new path for how humans might eat in the future.