FDA gives clearance to world's first-to-market cultivated meat
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has completed its second pre-market consultation for a new kind of meat, poultry, and seafood made from cells -instead of raised and slaughtered animals- and produced for human consumption.
The consultation with the firm, named GOOD Meat (a division of Eat Just, Inc., a company that uses animal cell culture technology to create food), included an evaluation of the firm’s 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.
As a result, the FDA issued a "no questions" letter to GOOD Meat. This is not an approval, as the company must meet the same stringent FDA requirements, including facility registration and applicable safety requirements, as other food companies, however, it means that the FDA, after a careful and rigorous evaluation, agrees with the company’s conclusion that its cultivated chicken is safe to eat.
Currently, GOOD Meat is the only cultivated meat producer in the world with the ability to sell to consumers, as its products have been already sold in Singapore since 2020. This clearance by the FDA brings the company one step closer to selling its products also in the US.
Now the firm will need a grant of inspection from the United States Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) for the manufacturing establishment. Moreover, the food itself will also require a mark of inspection from USDA-FSIS before entering the US market.
GOOD Meat is the second cultivated meat company to receive FDA clearance. In November 2022, the agency made history when it agreed with UPSIDE Foods' assessment that its cultivated chicken was safe to eat. UPSIDE Foods is also awaiting a mark of inspection from the USDA.
Considering that cultivated meat is predicted to become a $25 billion global industry by 2030, and more than 80 companies stake a future in this sector, the FDA declared that it is working together with the USDA on regulatory oversight to make sure that cultivated meats entering the US market are safe and properly labelled.
Sources:
https://www.fda.gov/food/cfsan-constituent-updates/fda-completes-second-pre-market-consultation-human-food-made-using-animal-cell-culture-technology
https://www.goodmeat.co/all-news/good-meat-receives-us-fda-clearance
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