First cultured meat product successfully reviewed by FDA for safety, a milestone for cell-based cultured meat products

Yesterday marked the conclusion of the first pre-market consultation for a human food made from cultured animal cells by the US Food and Drug Association (FDA). The pre-market consultation was submitted by UPSIDE Foods to use animal cell culture technology to take living cells from chickens and grow the cells in a controlled environment to make the cultured animal cell food. The FDA completed the company’s pre-market consultation with no additional questions regarding their safety conclusion. This voluntary pre-market consultation is FDA’s current approach to food products such as cultured meat that do not have an existing regulatory approval path; and is a monumental step towards the future of cultured meat.  

At Vireo Advisors, LLC, we are excited about this new milestone for the industry as we work with leading companies and others on the development of safety information relevant toward regulatory approvals and the commercialization of cell cultured meat and seafood products in global markets.  

To date, only two products are known to have completed regulatory safety reviews globally, just the very beginning of the market for these alternative sources of protein so important to our sustainable future economy. 

In order to bring their product to market for the public in the US, UPSIDE Foods will be required to have the production facilities inspected and approved by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the food itself will need a mark of inspection before it can enter the US market. However, FDA’s ‘No Questions’ finding is significant as it clear barriers for commercial production and consumption of cultured meat in the US market.