A researcher from a university in the United Kingdom is heading to the United States to speak at a conference on plant-based and clean meat.

Chris Bryant works at the University of Bath and his research focuses on consumer acceptance of clean meat, also known as cultured meat or lab meat. He is scheduled to speak at the inaugural Good Food Conference at the University of California-Berkley, Sept. 6-7, 2018. The event is sold out but follow this link to sign up for the livestream.

Bryant has conducted research on nomenclature, perceptions of naturalness and the international appeal of so-called clean meat, including ongoing work with The Good Food Institute and Faunalytics.

The conference will bring together scientists, entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers and companies working in plant-based meat, clean meat and supporting technologies.

Other speakers scheduled include Pat Brown of Impossible Foods, Mark Post of MosaMeat, Uma Valeti of Memphis Meats, and Josh Tetrick of JUST. Representatives from companies such as Tyson Foods, Kellogg Co., ADM and Thermo Fisher Scientific are also on the schedule to present at the conference.

The event is planned by The Good Food Institute, a non-profit organization, which focusses on clean meat and plant-based alternatives to animal products.

Clean meat is created by growing meat outside of an animal from a small cell sample, eliminating the need for factory farming and slaughter, according to GFI. Companies in the U.S. and Europe are already producing hamburgers, steak bites and pork sausage, plus milk and egg products. 

European firms in the lab-grown meat sector would need to apply for EU novel food status before products could become commercially available. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in July that the agency will have jurisdiction over lab-grown meat. 

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