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Lab-grown meat is cleared for sale in the United States

June 21, 2023 - from the CNN Business:

"Cultivated meat, also known as lab-grown meat, has been cleared for sale in the United States.

"Upside Foods and Good Meat, two companies that make what they call “cultivated chicken,” said Wednesday that they have gotten approval from the US Department of Agriculture to start producing their cell-based proteins.

"Good Meat, which is owned by plant-based egg substitute maker Eat Just, said that production is starting immediately. Cultivated or lab-grown meat is grown in a giant vat, much like what you’d find at a beer brewery.

"Last week, Good Meat and Upside said they had received approval for labels for its product from the USDA. In March, Good said it had received a so-called “no questions” letter from the Food and Drug Administration. That letter states that the administration is satisfied that the product is safe to sell in the United States. The FDA issued a similar letter Upside Foods in November.

" Good Meat, which has been selling its products in Singapore, advertises its product as “meat without slaughter,” a more humane approach to eating meat. Supporters hope that cultured meat will help fight climate change by reducing the need for traditional animal agriculture, which emits greenhouse gases.

"The company had previously announced that it was partnering with chef and restaurateur José Andrés to bring the item to a Washington, DC restaurant. It is working with his team on a launch but doesn’t have specific information on timing at this point, according to a company spokesperson. As production ramps up, Good Meat may consider partnering with other restaurants or launching in retail, he added."

UPSIDE Foods Granted USDA Label Approval for Cultivated Meat and Moves One Step Closer to Commercialization

June 14, 2023 - from the PR News:

" UPSIDE Foods, the leading cultivated meat, poultry and seafood company, announced today that it obtained label approval for its cultivated chicken from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). With an approved label in hand, UPSIDE Foods is now working with USDA to obtain a Grant of Inspection (GOI) for its Engineering, Production, and Innovation Center (EPIC), the last remaining item in the pre-market regulatory process before the company can commercially produce and sell its cultivated chicken in the United States. The label uses the term 'cell-cultivated chicken.'

"As a cultivated meat product grown directly from real animal cells, UPSIDE's Chicken is subject to the same labeling requirements as conventionally-produced meat products. UPSIDE Foods has now demonstrated full compliance with all pre-market requirements for labeling and can begin commercial production and sales as soon as it obtains a GOI from USDA. UPSIDE's chicken will proudly bear the USDA mark of inspection on its packaging after it passes USDA inspection.

"After completing the next and final regulatory step, UPSIDE's cultivated chicken will be launched in limited quantities through select restaurant partners.

" In addition, UPSIDE will continue its work with FDA and USDA to bring its next consumer products to market, including sausages, nuggets, and dumplings."

FDA Completes First Pre-Market Consultation for Human Food Made Using Animal Cell Culture Technology

November 16, 2022 - from the FDA:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) completed its first pre-market consultation for a human food made from cultured animal cells. We evaluated the information UPSIDE Foods submitted to the agency and have no further questions at this time about the firm’s safety conclusion. The firm will use animal cell culture technology to take living cells from chickens and grow the cells in a controlled environment to make the cultured animal cell food.

The FDA's pre-market consultation with the firm included an evaluation of the firm’s production process and the cultured cell material made by the production process, including the establishment of cell lines and cell banks, manufacturing controls, and all components and inputs. The voluntary pre-market consultation is not an approval process. Instead, it means that after our careful evaluation of the data and information shared by the firm, we have no further questions at this time about the firm’s safety conclusion.

More information is here

Upside Foods gets FDA greenlight for cultivated chicken

November 16, 2022 - from the FoodDive:

• "ultivated meat maker Upside Foods received approval from the FDA for its chicken grown from animal cells. This is the first regulatory approval for any cultivated meat in the U.S.
• "The “no questions” letter from the FDA indicates regulators have found nothing unsafe about the cultured chicken the company makes. Upside Foods now awaits approval from the USDA in order to serve its chicken products to consumers.
• "Several cultivated meat startups have been working since 2018 with the FDA and the USDA — which are jointly regulating the space — in hopes of gaining approval. Eat Just has the only other regulatory approval for cultured meat, which it has sold in Singapore since 2020.

"Upside Foods and the U.S. have both reached a milestone with this approval. Not only is Upside Foods a step closer to selling cultivated chicken, but the U.S. could soon have a new kind of meat available for consumers to choose.

"Upside Foods, founded in 2016 as Memphis Meats, was one of the first companies in the cultivated meat space.

"It also is the one that’s closest to being able to produce meat at scale. Just over a year ago, Upside opened a 53,000-square-foot facility in the San Francisco Bay Area that will be able to make 400,000 pounds of meat a year — enough to serve some restaurant customers.

"Through this approval, the FDA is showing its commitment to supporting innovation in the food supply. The statement stressed that the FDA’s first priority is safety. Food made with cultured animal cells, the agency wrote, must meet the same stringent requirements as other food regulated by the FDA.

"For meat and poultry products, the FDA ensures products are produced in a safe manner. After the meat is harvested from the bioreactor, it enters the USDA’s jurisdiction — just like any animal meat product."