UPSIDE Foods News - vegconomist - the vegan business magazine

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UPSIDE Foods Announces its First Commerical Cultivated Meat Plant in Illinois

September 14, 2023September 14, 2023

UPSIDE Foods, has officially chosen Glenview, Illinois, just outside of Chicago, as the location for its first large-scale commercial production facility. This 187,000-square-foot plant, named “Rubicon,” will serve as a hub for the production of cultivated chicken products, marking UPSIDE’s first commercial-scale production. Moreover, the company has ambitious plans to diversify its product offerings by expanding into other meat varieties and whole-textured formats in the future. The company states it selected the name Rubicon with an appreciation for its historical significance as a point of no return, reflecting its commitment to redefine the future of food. Several factors drove the decision to establish its facility in this area. Firstly, Glenview’s strategic location offers significant logistical advantages, with major transportation crossroads facilitating efficient production, distribution, and …

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UPSIDE Foods: “We’ve Proven Cultivated Meat is Safe, Delicious, and Something Consumers Want”

September 6, 2023

Last November, UPSIDE Foods made history when it became one of the first two cultivated meat companies to have a product greenlit by the FDA. Since then, the company has reached several more milestones, with its cultivated chicken receiving USDA label approval this June and gaining final regulatory approval to be sold in the US a week later. UPSIDE’s first sale — believed to be the first ever for cultivated meat in the US — took place on July 1 at Chef Dominique Crenn’s acclaimed Bar Crenn restaurant. The initial event was for winners of a social media contest, but the cultivated chicken is now available to the public as part of a six-course meal at the restaurant. Most recently, UPSIDE announced that it had …

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UPSIDE Foods Bolsters Executive Team, Hires Former Twitter Executive as Chief Legal Officer

August 3, 2023

UPSIDE Foods (previously known as Memphis Meats), one of the two cultivated meat producers granted permission to sell their novel cell-cultivated chicken to consumers in the USA, today announces that Dr. Kevin Kayser, UPSIDE’s Senior Vice President of Research & Development (R&D), has been promoted to Chief Scientific Officer, and Sean Edgett, former General Counsel at Twitter, is appointed as Chief Legal Officer. Dr. Kayser previously led UPSIDE’s R&D efforts for almost five years. In the new role, he will be responsible for driving UPSIDE’s scientific strategy, overseeing all R&D efforts, and collaborating with academic and industry partners to advance the mission and economics of cultivated meat. His notable achievements include developing high-performance cell lines and cell feeds, including advancements in serum-free cell feed formulations, …

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Guest trying cultivated chicken at Bar Crenn

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Cultivated Meat

UPSIDE Foods: Reservations Now Open to Purchase Cultivated Meat in US For First Time

July 22, 2023July 21, 2023

UPSIDE Foods announces the first reservations to try its historic cultivated chicken are now open to the public. On August 4, Bar Crenn in San Francisco will begin serving UPSIDE’s cultivated chicken as part of a six-course meal, marking the first time members of the public can sign up to purchase cultivated meat in the US. The announcement comes just weeks after UPSIDE completed the first consumer sale of its cultivated chicken, also at Bar Crenn, to several winners selected from a social media contest. UPSIDE’s first official public seating will take place on August 4 at 5:00 pm PT, when Chef Dominique Crenn will serve the startup’s cultivated chicken as part of a six-course meal priced at $150. During the dinner service, the chicken …

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Crenn Cultivated Chicken Dish at Bar Crenn

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Cultivated Meat

UPSIDE Foods: First-Ever Sale of Cultivated Meat in US Takes Place Today

July 1, 2023

UPSIDE Foods announces its whole-cut, cell-cultivated chicken is launching at Chef Dominique Crenn’s acclaimed Bar Crenn restaurant on July 1st – in what UPSIDE believes is the first-ever consumer sale of cultivated meat in the US. The first customers will be several winners selected from a social media contest held by UPSIDE. The event follows a historic month for UPSIDE, which recently gained regulatory approval from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to sell its cell-cultivated chicken to chefs, restaurants, and consumers. UPSIDE’s chicken is also the first meat product Chef Crenn will offer on her menu since 2018 – when the Crenn Dining Group stopped serving conventional meat out of concern for its environmental impact. The July 1st event will feature UPSIDE’s cultivated chicken fried …

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UPSIDE Foods receives regulatory approval to produce and sell its cultivated chicken in the US

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UPSIDE Foods Gains Final Approval to Sell Cultivated Chicken to US Consumers

June 21, 2023

UPSIDE Foods announces it has secured the regulatory approval to produce and sell its cultivated chicken in the US. Concurrently, Eat Just’s GOOD Meat division has also passed its final stage of approval today (another article to follow shortly) after both companies today received the Grant of Inspection (GOI) from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) marking the last step in the pre-market regulatory process. Receiving the GOI confirms that UPSIDE Foods’ Engineering, Production, and Innovation Center (EPIC) meets federal operating requirements for meat & poultry facilities. Market debut UPSIDE announced that its market debut will be a whole-textured chicken product, 99% chicken cells, served at Bar Crenn in San Francisco, a restaurant owned by the three Michelin-star chef Dominique Crenn (a woman will prepare the …

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Cultivated meat made with serum-free cell growth media

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Setting the Record Straight: Eat Just is First Cultivated Meat Company to Receive USDA Label Approval

June 14, 2023

In a turn of events, and further to our article published some hours ago, UPSIDE Foods is in fact the second cultivated meat company in the US to receive label approval from USDA, not the first, as the company claimed in its widely distributed press release today. Following the publication of the UPSIDE news on ours and other platforms, Eat Just contacts vegconomist to set the record straight: “GOOD Meat (Eat Just’s cultivated arm) received approval of our label on June 8,” says the California food tech, adding that the company was not planning to make an announcement until after it had received its Grant of Inspection, representing the final step in the regulatory approval process. What came first, the chicken or the … chicken? …

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UPSIDE Foods receives USDA label approval for its cultivated chicken

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UPDATED: UPSIDE Foods Receives First-Ever USDA Label Approval for Cultivated Meat

June 14, 2023June 14, 2023

Update: We have been contacted by Eat Just which states its cultivated meat subsidiary GOOD Meat was in fact the first to receive USDA label approval, on June 8th (UPSIDE received approval June 12th) though was not intending to publicise the move until its GoI. We will report further on the situation. UPSIDE Foods announces it has become the first company in the world to receive USDA label approval for cultivated meat, specifically for its cultivated chicken The USDA, which regulates label approvals for meat, poultry, and egg products, officially approved the term “cell-cultivated chicken” for Upside Foods’ novel product on Monday, the 12th of June. UPSIDE Foods’ chicken, a cultivated meat product grown directly from animal cells, is subject to the exact labeling requirements …

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cultivated ground meat hot dog

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UPSIDE Foods Unveils Next Gen Cultivated Meat Products & Scientific Breakthrough

April 20, 2023

UPSIDE Foods announces a new consumer product line, including chicken sausages, chicken sandwiches, and dumplings made with cultivated ground meat, herbs, and plant-based proteins. Pending regulatory approval, this next generation of products marks an expansion of UPSIDE’s commercial portfolio, offering consumers a range of cultivated meat options. This new range follows the company’s signature cultivated chicken filet that made history last year when it received a landmark FDA green light, accepting UPSIDE’s safety conclusion. The regulatory process for UPSIDE‘s new products will be a separate request from the cultivated chicken filet, which is currently undergoing review by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for remaining approvals, explains UPSIDE. Major scientific achievement Since introducing the world’s first cultivated beef meatball in 2016, UPSIDE has achieved various milestones in improving its …

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The EVERY Co. Appoints Nair Flores, Formerly of Facebook and UPSIDE Foods, to Lead Its IP Strategy

March 9, 2023March 8, 2023

Food tech company The EVERY Co. announces it has appointed legal veteran Nair Flores as the company’s Senior Vice President, Head of Legal. Flores previously served in “seminal” roles at hypergrowth companies like Facebook, Lyft and Upside Foods. In her new role, Flores will lead EVERY’s IP estate as the company scales global production of its alternative proteins. According to EVERY, the hiring of Flores comes as the company positions itself for key growth milestones for its nature-identical egg products. Flores will be tasked with leading the company’s legal strategy and laying the IP groundwork for EVERY’s expansion. Flores brings 20 years of experience, most previously as Vice President, Legal at cultivated meat company Upside Foods, where she was instrumental in developing IP infrastructure and …

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Precision Fermentation

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Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

The Companies Removing Fetal Bovine Serum to Make Ethical, Slaughter-Free Meat

June 21, 2023January 24, 2023

Last week, GOOD Meat received the first-in-the-world regulatory approval to use fetal bovine serum-free media in its cultivated poultry production process. With this significant milestone in the history of cultivated meat, we discuss the companies paving the way for ethical, slaughter-free meat. Removing fetal bovine serum (FBS) from cultivated meat production has been among the industry’s major challenges. FBS has been the default growth supplement for in vitro cell culture used by academic and industrial researchers and scientists, including in the cellular agriculture space. Ethically problematic Fetal bovine serum is made by harvesting the blood of bovine fetuses taken from pregnant cows during slaughter. Blood from the fetus is drawn out via a closed collection system and then transformed into a serum. FBS contains growth factors, hormones, …

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Cell Culture Medium

Fetal Bovine Serum

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Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

UPSIDE Foods Discusses Next Steps Following FDA Green Light

December 5, 2022

UPSIDE Foods, a food tech company that recently received GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) status for its cultivated chicken, has been in the spotlight following the achievement, one which will cause a ripple effect throughout the cultivated meat industry across the planet in terms of regulatory approvals. In an interview with Yahoo! Finance, CEO Uma Valeti discussed the key points around this significant milestone. Price parity Valeti emphasized the importance of achieving price parity with conventional meat products. Currently, the small-scale production and challenges in product market allocation for retail result in a premium price for cultivated meat. Valeti predicts that the industry can reach price parity in 5-15 years. UPSIDE chicken is real chicken Valeti also clarified that UPSIDE’s cultivated chicken is not a …

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alternative protein market company Upside Foods serves a cultivated chicken burger

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Global Cultured Meat Markets Report – By 2040, a Projected 60% of Meat will be Created from Cells Grown Within Bioreactors and Sold Across Grocery Stores and Restaurants Worldwide

June 21, 2023November 25, 2022

DUBLIN–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The “The Global Market for Cultured Meat – Market Size, Trends, Competitors, and Forecasts (2022)” report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering. By 2040, a projected 60% of the meat will be created from cells grown within bioreactors and sold across grocery stores and restaurants worldwide. The rise of the cultured meat market will be supported by the sustainability of the process, as well as the industry’s ability to provide “tailor-made nutrition” through its meat and seafood products. Recent surveys indicate that nearly 50% of the consumers do not have any reservations about cultured meat. Over the next 10 to 20 years, the cultured meat market is projected to act as a major disruptor to the conventional meat market. The number of startups focused …

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UPSIDE Foods FDA greenlight

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Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

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

November 16, 2022

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 …

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alternative protein market company Upside Foods serves a cultivated chicken burger

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Market & Trends

New Report Finds “Intensified” Interest & Investment in Alternative Protein Market

October 24, 2022

GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, has released a report that predicts the alternative protein market will likely witness more demand in the future, suggesting alt protein remains an exciting sector offering opportunities for new investments and growth. As alternatives to dairy, seafood, and meat products steadily become closer to mimicking their animal counterparts in taste, texture, and nutrition, and as their prices lower; consumer desire for these innovative products will likely increase, according to the paper. Numerous market drivers The GlobalData’s Disruptor Intelligence Center analysis concludes that growing consumer awareness around cruelty-free products, VC interest, new business models, and novel source availability are the drivers of the global alternative proteins market. Pranjali Mujumdar, Disruptive Tech analyst at GlobalData, commented: “The emergence of alternative proteins, which …

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Chicken Salad UPSIDE

Chicken Salad ©UPSIDE

California Passes Landmark Bill Investing Millions in Alt Protein and Plant-Based School Lunches

September 11, 2023July 2, 2022

This week, the California state legislature adopted a $308B budget that, for the first time, allocates public funding for alternative protein research while expanding plant-based school meals. Supporting robust research Under Section 190, a new provision states that $5M will be directed to support the research and development of plant-based and cultivated meats, reports The Spoon. The funds will be allocated to three public universities: UCLA, UC Berkeley and UC Davis, which have all created successful alt-protein research programs. The language marks the first time California has designated public funds specifically for the development of cultivated meat, a major milestone that industry leaders, such as Berkeley’s UPSIDE Foods, are applauding. “This historic investment in research and development across the University of California system will ensure …

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Sheetal Shah UPSIDE Foods

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UPSIDE Foods Hires Sheetal Shah, Former Leader at Impossible Foods, to Scale Cultivated Meat Supply Chain

June 8, 2022

UPSIDE Foods, formerly known as Memphis Meats, announces the hire of Sheetal Shah as the company’s Senior Vice President of Supply Chain and Manufacturing. Through his role, Shah will focus on scaling the company’s cultivated meat production by building out the supply chain infrastructure. The news follows the massive $400M Series C round UPSIDE raised in April to begin commercializing its products. At UPSIDE, Shah will lead the development of the company’s supply chain and strategic sourcing of cell feed components and other inputs to reduce costs. Shah will also oversee UPSIDE’s production facilities, including its Engineering, Production and Innovation Center (EPIC), and quality operations. Unlocking opportunities Shah brings 25 years years of experience managing global supply chains for leading food and tech innovators such …

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UPSIDE Foods Chicken Taco

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Cultivated Meat

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

April 21, 2022

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 …

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

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Cultivated Meat

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

March 8, 2022

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 …

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Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

Cultivate Tomorrow is Hosting First Cell Ag Hackathon in the US

February 3, 2022

On February 12, Cultivate Tomorrow, the first nationwide hackathon devoted exclusively to addressing key challenges in cellular agriculture, will take place online via event platform Hopin. Created to help bridge the gap between industry and academia, Cultivate Tomorrow will bring together food tech leaders and students from around the US to discuss, brainstorm and innovate solutions for advancing cellular agriculture. The event will also provide ample interactive and networking opportunities for online attendees, say the organizers. Historic hackathon For the past two months, 130 students in 25 teams worked with industry mentors, which included Perfect Day and The Every Company, on one of three problem tracks: Advertising strategy for cell ag products Scientific communication to address cell ag misconceptions Innovative resource use To conclude the …

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