Upside Foods, a food technology company, has received preliminary approval from the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its lab-grown chicken meat. The company’s chicken meat is safe for consumption, according to the agencies. Singapur was the first country to allow the sale of lab-grown meat in January 2021, while the US and EU have yet to approve the sale of cultured meat products. Upside Foods plans to offer its chicken meat in select high-end restaurants once it receives final approval.
The company’s chicken meat is produced by cultivating chicken muscle cells in supply tanks. Some of these tanks dictate the shape of the meat pieces as they grow. The chicken breast pieces are ready in about three weeks. The company also uses tanks in which the chicken muscle cells grow in suspensions. These cells do not form a thicker tissue and can be further processed into ground meat and formed meat products.
Upside Foods CEO Uma Valeti said that the company has been working towards this moment for almost seven years. The company plans to start delivering its chicken meat to select high-end restaurants once it receives approval. The company’s strategy is similar to that of Redefine Meat, a start-up that plans to deliver its 3D-printed steaks to high-end restaurants.
Upside Foods’ chicken meat has been tested by renowned chef Dominique Crenn, who runs the three-star restaurant Atelier Crenn in San Francisco. Crenn said that the meat looks like chicken breast and can be cooked in the same way. She also said that it was delicious. While the agencies have only reviewed the company’s documentation, a physical inspection of the production process and finished products is still pending.
