Could future fishy menu items come from a lab instead of the deep blue sea?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved lab-grown salmon.
San Francisco-based cellular agriculture company Wildtype nabbed the FDA’s first-ever approval of cultivated fish.
Gold standard lab grown salmon! pic.twitter.com/uNKEZdRpjx
— ZeeeMediaOfficial (@zeee_media) June 11, 2025
Curious customers right now can find Wildtype’s lab-grown salmon at one restaurant in Portland, Oregon.
“We could think of no better partner to introduce our cultivated salmon than award-winning chef and author, Gregory Gourdet. Weekly service began in late May at his James Beard award-winning Haitian restaurant, Kann in Portland, OR,” Wildtype announced.
“Guests are now able to experience Wildtype salmon at Kann on Thursday nights in June, then every day starting in July. Sail on over to Kann’s reservations page now to snag a spot,” it added.
Lab-grown salmon is now FDA approved — here’s why this one restaurant is putting it on the menu https://t.co/WJWyoDDq2f pic.twitter.com/knH4u9doVM
— New York Post (@nypost) June 11, 2025
From the New York Post:
And according to the FDA, they view lab-grown salmon “as safe as comparable foods produced by other methods,” the FDA wrote in its public response letter.
The FDA’s only gripe with Wildtype’s cultivated salmon so far is that the company refers to it as ‘cultured salmon cell material’ — which is not “our recommendation of that term as an appropriate common or usual name for declaring the substance in accordance with FDA’s labeling requirements,” the agency said.
This interest in lab-grown salmon is due to both wild-caught and farm-raised versions containing levels of mercury. Wild-caught salmon is also susceptible to picking up chemicals in local waters.
So, how exactly is lab-grown salmon made?
The process can be broken down into three steps: source, grow and harvest. Living cells from Pacific salmon are taken from fish and then placed into cell cultivators that mimic the temperature, pH, and nutrients of a wild fish — allowing the cells to grow, as explained by Wildtype.
Once fully matured and harvested, the living “salmon cells” are fused with plant-based ingredients that imitate the texture and appearance of true salmon.
“Our saku is sushi-grade and best served raw in dishes like sushi, crudo and ceviche. We made it for world class chefs who seek out the distinct flavor and freshness of raw seafood,” Wildtype writes on its website.
The company says its salmon is the “world’s first cultivated seafood.”
Land ho! Wildtype is o-fish-ally on the menu 🐟
Our cultivated salmon is at @kannrestaurant in Portland with Chef @gg30000 Thursdays in June and every night starting in July. Book now and be among the first to try it!
Also, FDA ✅
More info here:https://t.co/hR5FOynuPB pic.twitter.com/xyJzPT7QpP— Wildtype (@wildtypefoods) June 3, 2025
The Verge reports:
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,” IP lawyer Dr. Emily Nytko-Lutz, who specializes in biotechnology patents, explained to The Verge. “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 becomes the fourth company to gain FDA approval for selling cultivated animal products.
Upside Foods and Good Meat received the green light to sell cultivated chicken, while Mission Barns got the nod for its cultivated pork fat.
Mission Barns still awaits USDA approval.
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