GOOD Meat, the cultivated meat division of California foodtech Eat Just, Inc., announces it has today received final approval from the USDA for the sale of its cultivated chicken to American consumers. GOOD Meat’s final stage of approval was seemingly granted at the same time as that of UPSIDE Foods today, 21st June.
Eat Just states that production is already underway for the first batch of cultivated chicken that will be sold to renowned restaurateur Chef José Andrés, owner of José Andrés Group, which operates more than 30 restaurants. Chef Andrés has shared that a yet-to-be-disclosed restaurant in Washington DC will be the first in the country to serve GOOD Meat’s cultivated chicken.
“GOOD Meat’s grant of inspection is a historic moment for the global food industry“
Just last week, GOOD Meat became the first company in the US to receive label approval using the term “cell cultivated chicken” for its products, which will now bear the USDA mark of inspection. The watershed moment comes as the company passes the last step in the pre-market regulatory process — receiving the Grant of Inspection (GOI) — a requirement reviewed by USDA that meat and poultry facilities must pass to sell and label their products.
GOOD Meat reports it has now received a GOI for its demonstration plant in Alameda, California, as has its contract manufacturing partner, JOINN Biologics.
Under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) and Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA), all meat and poultry sold on the US market must pass inspection to ensure its safety. Now, for the first time in history, the government will assign inspectors to GOOD Meat and other cultivated meat and poultry facilities that follow.
A major moment for the food system
Josh Tetrick, co-founder and CEO of GOOD Meat and Eat Just, states: “This announcement that we’re now able to produce and sell cultivated meat in the United States is a major moment for our company, the industry and the food system. We have been the only company selling cultivated meat anywhere in the world since we launched in Singapore in 2020, and now it’s approved to sell to consumers in the world’s largest economy. We appreciate the rigor and thoughtfulness that both the FDA and USDA have applied during this historic two-agency regulatory process.”
“GOOD Meat’s grant of inspection is a historic moment for the global food industry as we prepare for the first cell-cultured/cultivated chicken products to be sold in the United States, following rigorous and science-based evaluations by the FDA and USDA. AMPS Innovation members continue to make ground-breaking advancements that will, in partnership with the entire food and agriculture sector, help meet increased demand for protein as the world’s population continues to grow,” states Robert Rankin, Executive Director, Association of Meat, Poultry, and Seafood Innovation
