UPSIDE Foods receives USDA approval for cultivated meat label
The label is for cultivated chicken
15 June 2023
2 minute read
By: California's UPSIDE Foods said on Wednesday it received regulatory approval from the US Department of Agriculture for the label on its cell-cultivated chicken, making it the second company in the United States to secure that approval, according to Reuters.
UPSIDE Foods a cultivated meat, poultry and seafood company, said it obtained label approval from the USDA for its cultivated chicken.
With an approved label in hand, UPSIDE Foods is now working with USDA to obtain a Grant of Inspection 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 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 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."
