The US FDA granted permission to San Francisco-based startup Upside Foods on November 16, 2022, to market and sell its lab-grown, cultivated chicken. Through a premarket consultation process, approval was given by FDA. During this process, food manufacturers provide details of their production process to the FDA and it is satisfied that the process is safe, it then issues a no further questions’ letter.

Cultivated meat has been growing in popularity for several years.  Alternative proteins that don’t require animal products are thought to be the answer to the world’s soaring population. Even though this meat is produced without the need to raise and kill animals, it is not considered vegan or vegetarian.

Singapore was the first nation to permit the sale of cultured meat. Regulatory authority was given to San Francisco startup Eat Just Inc. in 2020 so that it could market its chicken raised in laboratories and sell it in Singapore.  At scale, it is anticipated that meat produced this way will require far less water and land than meat produced in the traditional way.

To create the cultured animal cell meal, the company will use animal cell culture technologies. It will take living cells from chickens and cultivate the cells in a controlled environment. It is biologically identical to chicken meat obtained from a slaughtered bird. It’s an advancement in the race to what might be an environmentally superior type of beef

The manufacturing plant of Upside Foods can generate about 50,000 pounds of farmed meat annually, and the start-up intends to eventually expand to generate 400,000 pounds of meat annually. The vast array of plant-based meat alternatives already available on the market, such as those from Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods. They are made with plant-based ingredients like soy, wheat, peas, beans, starches, and oil, which are completely different from what they are offering.

On the other hand, raised meat is actual meat that is produced without killing or injuring any animals. To reduce the need for repeated biopsies, startups perform an invasive method called a living animal biopsy and then produce cell lines. The cells are then developed in bioreactors, which are substantial stainless-steel tanks designed to resemble the interior of an animal. The cells are maintained at a specific temperature and fed a combination of nutrients, including proteins, sugars, and amino acids, to aid in their proliferation and development into fat or muscle tissue.

The FDA’s certification of Upside Foods, formerly Memphis Meats, is the result of seven years of research and development. Upside Foods has attracted over $600 million in investments from Richard Branson, Bill Gates, and the meat industry giant Cargill. With the help of billions in venture capital funding, cultured meat businesses have now popped up all over the world.