Lab-grown meat startup launches with faux chicken nuggets and pork liver pâté

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In New York, startup Lab Farm Foods has launched in the rapidly growing cell-based meat market with a tasting showcase of its first three products: two varieties of chicken nuggets and pork liver pâté.

One nugget variety was a 50-50 combo of cultured cells and plant-based proteins, while the second was a combo of conventional ground chicken and cultured cells. The liver pâté was entirely cell cultured.

“While we believe cell-culture technology still has a ways to go before it produces a viable standalone product, we see the opportunity involving blended hybrid products as a way to make a more immediate impact on the global challenges we are trying to solve, while still offering consumers the same taste and nutrient profile they have grown to love,” COO Dave Schnettler says in a press statement.

The company cultures myotubes—the in vitro equivalent of muscle fibers—using serum-free media to mimic skeletal muscle development. The company is looking to raise seed funding, scale production, and reduce cost of production.