Memphis Meats recently accomplished a milestone by producing the world’s first lab-grown chicken and duck meat. A few companies, including Memphis Meats, have already produced lab-grown beef, but creating poultry meat had not been done yet.

“Chicken is the most popular protein in America, where consumers eat an average of about 90 lb. per year, and represents an annual market of $90 billion domestically. Duck has a deep significance in many regions, including mainland China, which consumes more than 6 billion lb. per year -- more than the rest of the world combined,” the company said.

Now, for the first time in history, both have been produced directly from poultry cells, the company said.

“It is thrilling to introduce the first chicken and duck that didn’t require raising animals. This is a historic moment for the clean meat movement,” Dr. Uma Valeti, co-founder and chief executive officer of Memphis Meats, said. “Chicken and duck are at the center of the table in so many cultures around the world, but the way conventional poultry is raised creates huge problems for the environment, animal welfare and human health. It is also inefficient. We aim to produce meat in a better way so that it is delicious, affordable and sustainable. We really believe this is a significant technological leap for humanity and an incredible business opportunity — to transform a giant global industry while contributing to solving some of the most urgent sustainability issues of our time.”

Memphis Meats said its breakthrough was made possible by a unique technological platform the company is building to produce new clean meat products and accelerate clean meat innovation.

“The multi-animal platform will allow the company to produce many types of meat and to fine-tune the taste, texture and nutrition profile of its products. The platform will also enable the company to scale up production and rapidly reduce costs,” Memphis Meats explained.

The team expects to continue reducing production costs dramatically, with a target launch of its products to consumers in 2021.

Based in California's San Francisco Bay area, Memphis Meats said it is developing methods to produce meat directly from animal cells without the need to feed, breed or slaughter animals. Memphis Meats released the world’s first clean meatball in February 2016. The company aims to bring to the market delicious, real meat that is significantly better for the environment, animals and public health while claiming a share of the $750 billion global market for meat.