Upside Foods, a food tech brand, announced Friday that it became the first company to receive a "No Questions" letter from the FDA for cultivated meat, poultry, or seafood, signaling that the administration has deemed the product safe to eat. The letter was issued following an evaluation process.
"This is a watershed moment in the history of food," said Dr. Uma Valeti, CEO and founder of Upside Foods, in a statement. "We started UPSIDE amid a world full of skeptics, and today, we've made history again as the first company to receive a 'No Questions' letter from the FDA for cultivated meat. This milestone marks a major step towards a new era in meat production, and I'm thrilled that U.S. consumers will soon have the chance to eat delicious meat that's grown directly from animal cells."
The food tech company grows meat, poultry, and seafood directly from animal cells, without affecting livestock in the process.
The FDA released a memo detailing the agency's review of the data and information provided by Upside Foods to establish the safety of its cultivated chicken filet as well as a document regarding the safety and production process of the cultivated chicken filet.
Since its founding in 2015, the food tech company has supported the development of a regulatory framework for cultivated meat that ensures safety and transparency. In 2018, it partnered with the North American Meat Institute to advocate for joint regulatory oversight of cultivated meat by the FDA and USDA. The following year, it co-founded the world's first trade coalition for cultivated meat, the Alliance of Meat, Poultry, and Seafood Innovation.
"Since our earliest days, our top priority has been to ensure the safety and quality of our products," said Eric Schulze, PhD, VP of regulatory and public policy at Upside Foods, in a statement. "FDA sets the standard for global acceptance of new food innovations, and we are incredibly grateful for the agency's rigorous and thoughtful process to ensure the safety of our food supply. We're also extremely proud to have played a leading role in helping to champion the framework for how cultivated meat, poultry and seafood are regulated in the U.S."
In the U.S., cultivated meat is regulated by both the FDA and the USDA. Now the company needs to work with the USDA to secure the remaining approvals that are required before products can be sold to consumers.
Related: Cultivated Meat May Soon Come to Market; Time Names Best Food, Beverage Inventions