Lab grown Salmon finally gets the FDA green light
Our oceans are suffering because of over fishing and climate change, so we need new ways to secure our food chains.
Key takeaways
- The world needs cheap protein – and more chickens and cows aren’t the answer because of their environmental footprint.
- The FDA has sole responsibility for regulating most lab-grown seafood, whereas the task is shared with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for cultivated meat.
- At a state level, the situation is more complicated, with eight states issuing bans on lab-grown meat as the technology becomes a conservative talking point.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2025) 'Lab grown Salmon finally gets the FDA green light', 311 Institute, 1 July. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/lab-grown-salmon-finally-gets-the-fda-green-light/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
The world needs cheap protein – and more chickens and cows aren’t the answer because of their environmental footprint. So over the years I’ve been watching the rise of Cellular Agriculture where you take a cell from an animal, any animal - even humans, replicate it in a bioreactor infinitely, to create everything from bacon and pork bellies, to burgers, chicken nuggets, steaks, fillets of fish, and even tiger and zebra burgers.
Years ago Singapore regulators approved these Clean Meats – so called because we can make meat without the animal now – for sale in restaurants, and the UK government approved them for sale in pet foods. And now, years on from approving the first clean meats in the USA, the FDA has issued its first ever approval on a safety consultation for lab-grown fish.
This makes Wildtype only the fourth company to get approval from the regulator to sell cell-cultivated animal products, and its cultivated salmon is now available to order from one Portland restaurant.
The Future of Food, by Food Futurist Matthew Griffin
Wildtype announced last week that the FDA had sent a letter declaring it had “no questions” about whether the cultivated salmon is “as safe as comparable foods,” the customary final step in the FDA’s approval process for lab-grown animal products. The FDA has sole responsibility for regulating most lab-grown seafood, whereas the task is shared with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for cultivated meat.
The FDA’s pre-market safety consultation is voluntary, but is “helpful for marketability,” said IP lawyer Dr. Emily Nytko-Lutz, who specializes in biotechnology patents. “There are other pathways involving self-affirmation of safety as well as a longer food additive review process, but the FDA’s authorisation with a ‘No Questions’ letter is a middle ground.”
Wildtype salmon is now on the menu at Haitian restaurant Kann in Portland, Oregon, and the company has opened a waitlist for the next five restaurants to stock the fish. It joins Upside Foods and Good Meat, two companies with permission to sell cultivated chicken in the US, while Mission Barns has been cleared by the FDA but is awaiting USDA approval for its cultivated pork fat. At a state level, the situation is more complicated, with eight states issuing bans on lab-grown meat as the technology becomes a conservative talking point.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
Our oceans are suffering because of over fishing and climate change, so we need new ways to secure our food chains.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- announced last week wildtypefoods.com
- Download fda.gov
- eight states issuing bans vox.com
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 1 July 2025. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2025). Lab grown Salmon finally gets the FDA green light. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/lab-grown-salmon-finally-gets-the-fda-green-light/
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