UPSIDE Foods FDA greenlight

© UPSIDE Foods

Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

UPSIDE Foods Becomes First Company in the World to Receive FDA Green Light for Cultivated Meat

UPSIDE Foods, formerly known as Memphis Meats, just announced it has received approval from the US FDA for its cultivated chicken, marking the first time in the world a company has received a No Questions letter from the US FDA for cultivated meat, poultry, or seafood. “Before entering the U.S. Market, the food must meet other federal requirements,” states the FDA document, meaning that market entrance is not yet granted but is imminent. The products have been granted Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status and once the FDA has obtained further evidence that the process is safe, it should issue a “no further questions” letter to the company. The move paves the way for the company’s path to market in the United States and brings …

more

UPSIDE Foods Chicken Taco

© UPSIDE Foods

Cultivated Meat

UPSIDE Foods Achieves Unicorn Status Following Largest Ever Fund Round in Cultivated Meat

UPSIDE Foods (previously Memphis Meats) announces a $400 million Series C round which included returning investors Cargill, Tyson Foods, and Bill Gates. UPSIDE says this is the largest round in the industry to date and brings its valuation to over $1 billion, thus achieving Unicorn status. The news closely follows Upside’s acquisition of Culture Decadence, producer of cultivated lobster. Pending regulatory approval, which is slated to take place in 2022, UPSIDE Foods says it intends to initially launch on the US market. The fresh funds will be utilised to expedite commercialisation, build a commercial-scale facility with a planned annual capacity of tens of millions of pounds of cultivated meat, and develop the supply chain for ACF Cell Feed – a cell media that the company …

more

EPIC - described as world's most advanced cultivated meat facility

©UPSIDE Foods

Cultivated Meat

UPSIDE Foods Invites the Public Into “World’s Most Advanced Cultivated Meat Facility”

UPSIDE Foods, formerly known as Memphis Meats, has hosted a public tour of what it describes as “the world’s most advanced cultivated meat facility”. The company opened its 53,000 square foot Engineering, Production and Innovation Center (EPIC) in November, with the aim of being able to produce cultivated meat of any species. The facility was intentionally built within an urban community to increase transparency. Recognising that many consumers have concerns or misconceptions about cultivated meat, UPSIDE has decided to offer public tours to help raise awareness of the benefits. The first tour was hosted on March 7, featuring a walkthrough of the facility, a presentation about how cultivated meat is produced, and a meet and greet with founder and CEO Dr. Uma Valeti. Future tours …

more

UPSIDE-Foods-Chicken-Hot-Dog

©UPSIDE Foods

Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

UPSIDE Develops ACF Cell Feed, Bringing “Tremendous Benefits” for Animals, Planet, and Consumers

UPSIDE, formerly Memphis Meats, announces a major milestone towards making real meat without animals. The company has developed ACF Cell Feed – a cell media that is 100% animal component free. Upside states this “breakthrough brings tremendous benefits for animals, the planet, and consumer”. Last year, operating as Memphis Meats, the company received investments in excess of $180 million, including a Series B round of $161 million — the largest funding round in cell-based meat — with participants such as Bill Gates and Richard Branson. The company rebranded this May, announcing that it was ready for business with chicken as its first consumer product, and last month unveiled a $50 million R&D center called EPIC. So far, UPSIDE demonstrated the effectiveness of its ACF feed …

more

Entryway - UPSIDE Foods

©UPSIDE Foods

Company News

UPSIDE Foods Unveils EPIC – a $50M Cultivated Meat Engineering, Production & Innovation Center

Upside Foods, previously Memphis Meats prior to its rebrand this May, today announces a new centre called EPIC, containing custom-made, patented cultivators to produce over 50,000 pounds of cultivated meat, with a future capacity of over 400,000 pounds per year, and offering the public the opportunity to see how cultivated meat is produced. The San Francisco company released the world’s first cultivated meatball in February 2016 and the world’s first cultivated poultry in March 2017. Pending regulatory approval UPSIDE’s chicken product is due to be served by three-Michelin-starred chef Dominique Crenn, the first female chef in the US to be awarded three Michelin stars, marking the first time Crenn will serve meat since removing it from her menus in 2018.  At the EPIC center, UPSIDE …

more

UPSIDE Foods

Dominique Crenn © UPSIDE Foods

Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

San Francisco: Three-Michelin Star Chef Dominique Crenn to Serve Cell-Cultured Chicken from Upside Foods

Cell-cultured meat company UPSIDE Foods has agreed a partnership with three-Michelin-starred chef Dominique Crenn to serve cell-cultured chicken in her world-renowned restaurant, Atelier Crenn. Following regulatory approval, it will be the first time Crenn will serve meat since removing it from her menus in 2018.  “When I tasted UPSIDE Chicken for the first time, I thought, this is it!  This is the future of food” – Dominique Crenn Crenn – the first female chef in the US to be awarded three Michelin stars – will also provide culinary counsel and recipe development in the new deal. It is the first time UPSIDE Foods has partnered with a chef, as the Californian company approaches commercialization for its cell-cultured chicken.  Based in Berkeley, UPSIDE Foods recently underwent …

more

Chicken Salad UPSIDE

Chicken Salad ©UPSIDE

Company News

Berkeley’s Memphis Meats Rebrands to UPSIDE Foods to Officially Launch its First Cultured Meat For Consumers

Leading producer of cell-cultured meat, poultry and seafood, Memphis Meats, today announces it has become UPSIDE Foods. This signifies that the company is now ready for business with its first consumer product: chicken. To create its cultured meat at scale, UPSIDE Foods has broken ground on a pilot plant in the San Francisco Bay Area. The product will be available to consumers this year, pending regulatory approval. Last January, Memphis Meats announced it had received investment totalling in excess of $180 million, including a Series B round of $161 million, with participants such as Bill Gates and Richard Branson. The company is also backed by Prince Khaled’s KBW Ventures. As the first custom-built for meat cultivation, the company announces that its new end-to-end facility will …

more

Virgin with Memphis Meats

Branson with Memphis Meats, ©Virgin

Company News

Memphis Meats Closes Largest Funding Round in Cell-Based Meat Industry With $161 Million From Branson, Gates et al

Memphis Meats, the leading name in cellular meat, has received investment totalling in excess of $180 million, including this most recent Series B round of $161 million, with participants such as Bill Gates and Richard Branson. The Berkeley, California brand now will be able to hit a major milestone of launching products into the market.

more

Willem Blom - Vegan invest & entrepreneur

© Expand Online

Interviews

Vegan Investments – Interview with Willem Blom

Companies and investors have long used so-called “green investments” to invest in renewable energy and clean environmental solutions. Now, some investors are going one step further and specialising – for ethical or economic reasons – in the rapidly growing vegan sector. Willem Blom – entrepreneur & investor – only makes vegan investments with his capital. In this interview, he talks more about this new type of investment.

more