The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declared Wednesday that cell-cultured chicken by startup Upside Foods is safe for human consumption. It was the first time in history that the FDA approved lab-grown meat by a startup.
Upside Foods completed the FDA’s pre-market consultation process, and the organization found no reason to doubt its cell-cultured chicken meat production.
This historic announcement
Uma Valeti
“Cultivated meat has never been closer to the U.S. market than it is today. This historic announcement from the FDA is the foundational step in the regulatory process,” Upside founder and CEO Uma Valeti said.
“Next, we will work with USDA to obtain a grant of inspection for our Engineering, Production, and Innovation Center (EPIC), and to approve our label. Once those items are complete, we can begin commercial production and sales of our cultivated chicken filet.”
The FDA confirmed Upside Foods was one of the first cultivated meat companies to complete an evaluation. The agency, however, stressed that the pre-market consultation is not an approval process, meaning the government has not given permission for the company to sell its product.
There are several criteria Upside needs to fulfil for its products to enter the U.S. market, including facility registration and approval from the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). The startup has yet to reveal a timeline for when it wants to receive the actual green light but did say that “more details on the timing of the launch will follow.”
The FDA said in a written statement that it welcomes food technology innovations. Currently, the agency is in talks with several companies regarding various forms of food manufactured from cultivated cells. It said that human food made from cultivated animal cells must adhere to the same high standards as conventionally produced meat.
Valeti said Upside had considered selling its chicken at a premium price. However, after careful consideration, Upside plans to sell at the price range of conventionally produced chicken upon launch. Its ultimate goal is for its product to be less expensive than traditional meat.
