Eat Just Inc. and Upside Foods Inc. have received approvals from the US Department of Agriculture to sell cell-based chicken commercially, the companies announced Wednesday.
(Bloomberg) — Eat Just Inc. and Upside Foods Inc. have received approvals from the US Department of Agriculture to sell cell-based chicken commercially, the companies announced Wednesday.
It’s a historic moment for the cultivated meat and seafood industry, which has raised nearly $3 billion for more than 150 companies around the world. Eat Just and Upside had cleared earlier hurdles, including separate nods for both companies’ labels to sell products and letters confirming the US Food and Drug Administration had no questions about their safety conclusions. But neither step meant that members of the public would be able to purchase the products in the US.
With USDA approvals in hand, both have said they have already begun production for sale: Eat Just will launch with restaurants owned by chef José Andrés in Washington, and Upside will debut at chef Dominique Crenn’s restaurant Bar Crenn in San Francisco.
GOOD Meat, the cell-based division of Eat Just, can now begin production for sale at two facilities. It has received a grant of inspection from the USDA for its demonstration plant at its Alameda, California, headquarters; its contract manufacturer, Joinn Biologics, received the same for its facility. Upside also got a grant of inspection and can begin commercial production at its innovation center in Emeryville, California.
Read More: Slaughter-Free Meat Sounds Futuristic, Because It Still Is
Eat Just has sold small amounts of its chicken in Singapore since 2020, making it the only producer of cell-based meat in the world to have sold its products to the public.
“We appreciate the rigor and thoughtfulness that both the FDA and USDA have applied during this historic two-agency regulatory process,” Eat Just Chief Executive Officer Josh Tetrick said in a statement.
“It’s a giant step forward towards a more sustainable future — one that preserves choice and life,” Upside CEO Uma Valeti said in a separate statement.
The industry, however, remains challenged by scale, availability of equipment and inputs, and overall economic inefficiency. Environmental benefits also remain unproven and will depend in part on availability of renewable energy.
Read More on Lab-Grown Meat:What You Need to Know About Cultivated MeatThis Lab-Grown Meat Startup Is Cutting Straight to the Steak
(Updates with additional context starting in second paragraph.)
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.