In the rapidly evolving landscape of cultivated meat, a common misconception persists: the (erroneous) belief that labeling regulations for cultivated meat are nonexistent or inadequate. Transparency and regulatory compliance are top priorities for the industry and labels are currently regulated and must be approved by the USDA for cultivated meat as for all other meat foods. To dispel this misinformation, I spoke to multiple experts and gathered the following key points.
Current Labeling Guidelines for Cultivated Meat
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has regulatory oversight for all meat and poultry products. This includes inspecting facilities, the meat itself, and approving labels. Accordingly, USDA reviews and approves all cultivated meat and poultry food labels before they are used on products of commerce. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the Health and Human Services (HHS) department oversees labeling of cultivated animal foods made from animals not under USDA jurisdiction (like most fish). The labeling review process comes after very stringent scientific review processes of both the USDA and FDA for most cultivated animal foods, and FDA for most cultivated fish.
How Consumers Can Identify Cultivated Meat
Consumers can rely on clear and obvious labeling of cultivated meat. As of March 2025, the current USDA guidance for cultivated chicken includes:
- Product Name: Labels must explicitly state “cell-cultivated” or “cell-cultured” before the meat name (e.g., “cell-cultivated chicken”).
- Clear descriptors: Labels cannot represent cultivated meat as conventional.
- Ingredient Disclosure: Like all other foods, labels must list all ingredients and this must detail cultivated ingredients clearly and directly.
- Pre-Approval: Every label is approved by USDA-FSIS before commercial sale.
Case Example: UPSIDE Foods’ Cultivated Chicken USDA Approved Label
UPSIDE Foods is a trailblazer in the US cultivated meat industry, achieving several regulatory milestones. UPSIDE’s regulatory process started in 2019, following a call to prioritize the US bioeconomy during the first Trump administration. Then in November 2022, UPSIDE became the first company to receive FDA clearance and by June 2023, the company secured USDA Label Approval and a Grant of Inspection (GOI), officially allowing the production, packaging, and sale fully inspected by the USDA-FSIS. Cultivated chicken must pass the same USDA inspection as conventional chicken, and it bears the same USDA inspection seal, ensuring full adherence to federal standards.
UPSIDE Foods secured FSIS approval for a label that reads “cell-cultivated chicken”. Future cultivated meat and poultry products from UPSIDE or any other company will have their labels reviewed and approved by the USDA. USDA and FDA labeling guidelines routinely update to ensure consumer protection and transparency. The industry is committed to fostering consumer trust and ensuring 100% regulatory compliance.
Figure 1. Example of the first approved label for the first approved UPSIDE product (2023). Subsequent labels may bear different language in compliance with evolving regulatory guidelines.
State vs. Federal Cultivated Meat Labeling Requirements
Many states have recently proposed additional bills to restrict or dictate labeling of cultivated meat. Most states are proposing bills with nearly identical requirements to the current USDA-FSIS guidance. For example, labeling bills proposed by Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming all require a qualifying term such as “cell-cultivated” to be in close proximity or precede the identifying meat term (ex. cell-cultivated chicken, goat, pig, poultry, etc.) The redundancy between state and federal legislation begs the question: why are these restrictive labeling bills necessary if federal criteria is sufficiently transparent?
Why This Matters
Federal regulators including the USDA and FDA conduct stringent scientific review processes and require clear labeling for cultivated meat and other food products to ensure consumer transparency. Starting with UPSIDE Foods in 2023, cultivated meat products have always had official naming, labeling and safety oversight. There should be no question of inadequate regulation for these safe and wholesome products. Ultimately, consumers will have all the information necessary to make informed decisions when considering a purchase of cultivated meat foods.
Written by Sam Magrath, Policy Intern at AMPS and Master’s Student at Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, with a long tenure in the food and beverage industry. https://www.linkedin.com/in/smagrath/
Acknowledgements: Thank you to Sheila DyJuanco (UPSIDE Foods) for her expertise on the subject of cultivated meat regulations, and the Public Policy and Government Affairs Committee of AMPS.