Lab-grown pork appears at Berkeley Bowl despite red-state bans

Mission Barns served meatballs made with cultivated pork fat blended with plant protein at tasting events outside Berkeley Bowl, and the company holds U.S. clearance to sell cultivated pork fat while several red states have enacted bans and face legal challenges.

Mission Barns held tasting events outside Berkeley Bowl where visitors sampled meatballs made with cultivated pork fat combined with plant protein. The startup received regulatory clearance last year to sell products that include lab-grown pork fat. The Bay Area hosts several of the U.S. companies cleared to sell cultivated products and has become a local hub for the technology. The industry faces falling investment, state-level bans, and mixed consumer interest as companies work on business models and further research. Key details: - Mission Barns served samples of products that pair cultivated pork fat with plant-based protein at Berkeley Bowl tasting events. - The cultivated pork fat is derived from cell samples originally taken from two Yorkshire pigs at the Sweet Farm sanctuary, named Dawn and Dusk. - Mission Barns is the first company to receive U.S. clearance to sell products containing cultivated pork fat and intends to license its bioreactor technology to other firms. - The Bay Area is home to all five active U.S. companies with regulatory clearance, including Upside Foods, Wildtype, Good Meat and others, while some startups have closed. - Investment in cultivated meat has fallen sharply, from about $900 million in 2022 to roughly $74 million in 2025, according to the Good Food Institute, and some companies are pursuing legal challenges to state bans. Summary: The tasting events gave local consumers a chance to assess taste and texture, and researchers are gathering survey responses to learn how people react. Some companies are legally contesting state bans and researchers are studying consumer response; broader retail availability remains undetermined at this time.