- Following UPSIDE's historic FDA "green light" in 2022,
UPSIDE Foods today announced another historic milestone - label
approval for its cell-cultivated chicken
- With this label approval, UPSIDE has one remaining step in
the regulatory review process before it can start commercial
production and sales - a USDA Grant of Inspection (GOI) for its
Engineering, Production, and Innovation Center (EPIC)
BERKELEY, Calif., June 14,
2023 /PRNewswire/ -- 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.
"The USDA's approval of our label marks a major step forward
towards our goal of creating a more humane and sustainable food
system," said Dr. Uma Valeti, CEO and Founder of UPSIDE Foods.
"We're excited to continue working with the USDA to achieve our
next milestone: a Grant of Inspection (GOI) for our facility.
Obtaining the USDA's GOI will clear the way for commercial
production and sales and allow us to bring our delicious UPSIDE
chicken to consumers for the first time."
After completing the next and final regulatory step, UPSIDE's
cultivated chicken will be launched in limited quantities through
select restaurant partners, starting with three-Michelin star Chef
Dominique Crenn's restaurant Bar
Crenn in San Francisco. Launch
details will be shared at a later date, including information on
how to be among the first to try UPSIDE's cultivated chicken.
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and sign up for UPSIDE's newsletter to stay up-to-date.
This announcement comes after a series of milestones as UPSIDE
Foods approaches commercialization, including receiving the world's
first "green light" for cultivated meat from the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), a $400M Series
C placing the company's valuation at over $1
billion, and the expansion of its product portfolio to
include ground cultivated meat products. In addition, UPSIDE will
continue its work with FDA and USDA to bring its next consumer
products to market, including sausages, nuggets, and dumplings.
About UPSIDE Foods
Based in Berkeley, CA, UPSIDE Foods grows meat, poultry
and seafood directly from animal cells. These products are not
vegan or vegetarian—they are delicious meat, made without the need
to raise and slaughter billions of animals. Founded as the world's
first cultivated meat company in 2015, UPSIDE Foods has achieved
numerous industry-defining milestones, including being the first
company to produce multiple species of meat (beef, chicken and
duck), and to receive a "green light" from FDA for a cultivated
meat product. The company believes that people shouldn't have to
choose between the foods they love and a thriving planet, and is
working to build a better food system with access to delicious,
humane, and sustainable meat, poultry, and seafood. UPSIDE Foods
has won various industry awards, including New
York Times' Good Tech Awards, FastCo's Next Big Thing in
Tech, and the Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in the
Nation by the National Association for Business Resources. UPSIDE
Foods has raised a total of $608
million, including from the Abu Dhabi Growth Fund (ADG),
Baillie Gifford, Bill Gates,
Cargill, Future Ventures, John
Doerr, John Mackey,
Kimbal and Christiana Musk, Norwest,
Richard Branson, Softbank, Temasek,
Threshold, Tyson Foods, and others. For more information, please
visit www.upsidefoods.com.
Media Contact
Brooke
Whitney
media@upsidefoods.com
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SOURCE UPSIDE Foods