Celeb-backed Wildtype eyes launch of lab-grown salmon by year-end

In San Francisco, a cultivated seafood maker backed by A-listers has said it will launch sushi-grade salmon in restaurants before the year-end.

Justin Kolbeck, cofounder of Wildtype, told IntraFish that the company is just waiting on FDA consultation process before beginning this first phase of commercial launch. The milestone would make Wildtype among the first cultivated meat products commercially launched in the US.

Wildtype raised $100 million last year in a Series B that included Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert Downey Jr.’s FootPrint Coalition and NBA All-Star Blake Griffin.

The company’s pilot plant can produce 200,000 pounds of cultivated seafood annually. It has already held several successful product tastings.