FDA Clears Eat Just's Good Meat Cultivated Chicken

(RTTNews) - The US Food and Drug Administration has cleared cultivated chicken developed by GOOD Meat Inc., the cultivated meat division of alternative foods startup Eat Just Inc. This is FDA's second pre-market consultation for a human food made from cultured animal cells after UPSIDE Foods.

GOOD Meat is now required to meet Federal requirements including approvals from the US Department of Agriculture before entering the U.S. Market.

GOOD Meat uses 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.

In a letter, the agency said it has no further questions at this time about the firm's safety conclusion, which means that its first poultry product, cultivated chicken, is safe to eat.

GOOD Meat noted that the "no questions" letter from the FDA is part of one of the agency's first pre-market consultations for a new kind of meat, poultry and seafood made from cells instead of raised and slaughtered animals.

With this, GOOD Meat is closer to reaching restaurants and retail in the U.S. more than two years after its first worldwide approval and launch in Singapore.

GOOD Meat said it is now working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture on necessary approvals. Chef and humanitarian José Andrés, owner of José Andrés Group and Board member of GOOD Meat, will become the first in the country to offer GOOD Meat's chicken to customers at a restaurant in Washington, D.C.

The FDA's pre-market consultation with the firm included an evaluation of its production process and the cultured cell material made by the production process, including the establishment of cell lines and cell banks, manufacturing controls, and all components and inputs.

The voluntary pre-market consultation is not an approval process.

The agency noted that human food produced by GOOD Meat from cultured animal cells must meet the same stringent FDA requirements, including facility registration and applicable safety requirements, as other food.

The firm also need a grant of inspection from the United States Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service for the manufacturing establishment. The food itself also requires a mark of inspection from the agency before it can enter the U.S. Market.

The FDA said it is closely coordinating with USDA-FSIS to ensure it is properly regulated and labeled.

In November last year, UPSIDE Foods received FDA's first "No Questions" letter for cultivated meat, poultry or seafood, with a conclusion that its cultivated chicken was safe to eat.

The agency urged additional firms that are developing cultured animal cell food and production processes to ensure their food is considered safe and lawful under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

As per some analysts, cultivated meat could become a $25 billion global industry by 2030.

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