The cultivated meat, poultry and seafood company, Upside Foods became the first company in the world to receive a ‘No Questions’ letter from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for cultivated meat, poultry, or seafood. The letter signals that the FDA has accepted UPSIDE’s conclusion that its cultivated chicken is safe to eat.

“This is a watershed moment in the history of food,” said Dr. Uma Valeti, CEO and founder of Upside Foods. “We started Upside amid a world full of sceptics, 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 US consumers will soon have the chance to eat delicious meat that’s grown directly from animal cells.”

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 fillet. In addition, FDA released a comprehensive 104-page document, prepared by Upside Foods, that provides detailed information regarding the safety of and production process for its cultivated chicken fillet.

Since its founding in 2015, Upside Foods 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 the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The following year, it co-founded the world’s first trade coalition for cultivated meat, the Alliance of Meat, Poultry and Seafood Innovation (AMPS Innovation).