A second cultivated meat manufacturer, Good Meat, a subsidiary of Eat Just, received preliminary approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), moving lab-grown meat closer to commercialization.
“We… have no questions at this time regarding GOOD Meat’s conclusion that foods comprised of or containing cultured chicken cell material resulting from the production process… are as safe as comparable foods produced by other methods,” the FDA wrote in a “no questions” letter dated March 20.
Cultivated meat is a product derived from animal cell cultures designed to mimic the taste, texture and appearance of real animal products. Prior to the FDA announcement, Singapore is the only country to grant regulatory approval for cultivated meat products, notably, also to Eat Just.
“Since Singapore approved GOOD Meat for sale, we knew this moment was next. I am so proud to bring this new way of making meat to my country,” said Josh Tetrick, co-founder and CEO of GOOD Meat and Eat Just.
Former USDA Secretary Dan Glickman, who serves on the Good Meat advisory board, said in a statement: “While I will always support family farmers’ efforts to feed the world, forward-thinking companies like GOOD Meat are tackling food security, nutrition and environmental stewardship in new and exciting ways.”
In November 2022, rival cultivated meat manufacturer UPSIDE Foods was the first to obtain preliminary FDA approval.
Both companies must now secure regulatory approval from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) before cultivated chicken is available to consumers.
Eat Just cuts 18% of plant-based division workforce
The approval came less than a week after Eat Just announced an 18% workforce reduction in its plant-based Just Egg division.
The cut will affect over 40 employees, mostly in the U.S., across the company’s JUST Egg sector, Tetrick explained in an interview with Bloomberg.
Andrew Noyes, Eat Just Head of Global Communications and Public Affairs said to FoodDive, “Given the economic environment, we need to focus even more on building a high-impact company for the long-term, one where JUST Egg sales can fund our work in the future.”
“This difficult decision, along with cost reduction measures across our upstream and downstream operations, is necessary to make that happen,” Noyes added.
