UPSIDE Foods, a pioneering cultivated meat, poultry, and seafood company, has announced an upcoming range of consumer products made from natural animal cells. Pending regulatory review, these ground meat products will expand UPSIDE’s commercial offerings to include various delicious options, such as chicken sausages, sandwiches, and dumplings. Additionally, UPSIDE has developed a breakthrough chicken cell line for suspension cell culture, which could significantly reduce production costs for these ground meat products.
Established in 2015, UPSIDE Foods has been dedicated to developing a diverse range of delectable products to provide consumers with a new and improved meat experience. The company’s range includes whole-textured items like chicken filets and ground meat products with simpler textures that can be rapidly scaled up at a lower cost. Initially, UPSIDE will launch its cultivated chicken filet on a small scale, followed by the next generation of products.
UPSIDE’s ground meat product range has seen significant advancements, including developing a chicken cell line that does not require platelet-derived growth factors (PDGF), one of the most costly substances required for cell growth. UPSIDE has been committed to improving its ground product production processes since launching the world’s first cultivated beef meatball in 2016. In addition, UPSIDE announced the development of animal component-free cell feed for some products in December 2021, indicating its commitment to providing sustainable and ethical meat.
Dr. Uma Valeti, CEO and Founder of UPSIDE Foods, believes that achieving the intended impact necessitates having a varied portfolio that meets customer expectations. “Our first consumer product, a cultivated chicken filet, demonstrates our ability to provide the eating experience of a more complex and textured meat product.” On the other hand, our ground goods are highly adaptable, allowing us to experiment with various innovative forms and flavor sensations while also allowing us to scale faster and make grown meat more accessible. Both are lovely and delectable, and we can’t wait for others to sample them.”
UPSIDE Foods’ SVP of Research and Development, Kevin Kayser, emphasized the significance of generating a PDGF-independent cell line as a significant scientific success in grown meat production. “We can reduce costs and increase scale significantly by eliminating the most expensive growth factor in our process.” We are excited to use the insights obtained to fuel future developments and continue working to make our products more tasty, economical, compassionate, and sustainable.”
UPSIDE’s ground meat products will contain genuine animal cells, herbs, vegetables, spices, and plant-based proteins. The regulatory procedure for these new goods, which are based on cells grown in suspension culture, will be distinct from the approach used for UPSIDE’s first product, which used an adherent tissue-based technique and gained a “green light” from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last year. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) reviews that product for additional approvals. Meanwhile, UPSIDE will continue collaborating with the FDA and USDA to bring its next generation of goods to market.
Image provided by UPSIDE Foods
