Lab-grown meat could be in restaurants in 3 years

BERLIN -- A Dutch company presenting the world's first lab-grown beef burger five years ago said Tuesday it has received funding to pursue its plans to make and sell artificially grown meat to restaurants starting in 2021.

Mosa Meat said it hopes to sell its first products -- most likely ground beef for burgers -- in three years. The aim is to achieve industrial-scale production two to three years later, with a typical hamburger patty costing about $1.

Mosa Meat uses a small sample of cells taken from a live animal. Those cells are fed with nutrients so they grow into strands of muscle tissue. The company claims it could make up to 80,000 quarter pounders from a single sample.

With a number of startups and established players hoping to make cultured meat on a big scale, a battle has broken out over the terms used to describe such products.

Some advocates have claimed the term "clean meat" while opponents in the traditional farm sector suggest "synthetic meat" is more appropriate.