Organisation / Brand: UPSIDE Foods

Nair Flores

©The EVERY Co.

Company News

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

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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a collage of farm animals

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Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

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

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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upside foods ceo uma valeti

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Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

UPSIDE Foods Discusses Next Steps Following FDA Green Light

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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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

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

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

Politics & Law

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

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

©UPSIDE Foods
Company News

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

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

© 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 …

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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”

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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cultured meat cellbased beef

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Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

Cultivate Tomorrow is Hosting First Cell Ag Hackathon in the US

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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Cultivated Seafood

UPSIDE Foods Acquires Seafood Startup Cultured Decadence to Accelerate Cultivated Lobster

UPSIDE Foods, formerly known as Memphis Meats, has acquired cultivated seafood startup Cultured Decadence, which specializes in cell-cultured lobster. The startup will adopt the UPSIDE brand while remaining in Wisconsin as part of UPSIDE’s midwestern technology hub. The acquisition follows the recent opening of UPSIDE’s $50 million Engineering, Production & Innovation Center (EPIC) in California last year, the world’s most advanced facility for producing cultivated meat, poultry and seafood. According to a press release, EPIC’s technology platform will be capable of producing UPSIDE’s existing products and Cultured Decadence’s full species portfolio. Founded in 2020, Cultured Decadence is developing a wide array of high-value seafood products using proprietary cell lines and cell feed, including lobster meat. The acquisition will allow the startup to expand and complement …

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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 …

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Entryway - UPSIDE Foods

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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 …

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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 …

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Chicken Salad UPSIDE

Chicken Salad ©UPSIDE

Company News

Berkeley’s Memphis Meats Rebrands to UPSIDE Foods, Officially Launches 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 …

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