FDA Grants No-Questions Letter to Believer Meats for Cultivated Meat Production; NC Facility Now Operational
In a significant step forward for the cultivated meat industry, Believer Meats (formerly Future Meat Technologies) has completed its large-scale production facility in North Carolina and secured the FDA's "no questions" letter confirming the safety of its cultivated meat products.
The 200,000 sq ft facility in Wilson County, NC, is now undergoing commissioning, marking a significant milestone in the company's journey. The FDA's safety review, a crucial step in confirming the product's safety for consumption, is now complete, leading to the "no questions" letter.
However, the FDA clearance is not the final regulatory hurdle. Believer Meats is actively working with the USDA to secure a grant of inspection and label approval before it can sell its cultivated meat products commercially in the U.S. As of July 2025, the USDA grant of inspection has not yet been secured, but the process is in progress.
This development comes at a time when other cultivated meat startups, such as Good Meat (Eat Just), UPSIDE Foods, Mission Barns, and Wildtype, have also secured the FDA's green light in the US. However, specific information about other startups' product launches or timelines was not provided in the text.
Believer Meats uses spontaneously immortalized, Non-GMO chicken fibroblast cells, which are then trans-differentiated into adipocyte-like (fat) cells. The company's technology is designed to achieve higher-density cell cultures and more efficient use of media than its competitors in the cultivated meat space.
The company's series B round raised $347m, making it one of the top-funded players in the cultivated meat space. Other players in the industry, such as Vow and Clever Carnivore, are also making strides in reducing media costs. Vow predicts that cultivated meat will soon be 'unit margin positive', while Clever Carnivore aims to achieve media costs of $0.07/liter for its cultivated meat production.
Believer Meats operates in Israel, Chicago, North Carolina, and Dubai. Mission Barns, another player in the industry, plans to launch products in Q3 after securing USDA approval for cultivated fat. Australian cultivated meat startup Vow has 40,000-L of production capacity and has been producing at 20,000L for sales in Singapore and Australia.
Despite the progress made, GFI states that there are no silver bullets to fill funding gaps in cultivated meat. The industry continues to face challenges in scaling up production, reducing costs, and securing regulatory approvals.
[1] Believer Meats Press Release, [Date], [Link] [2] FDA Letter, [Date], [Link] (Not publicly available) [3] Believer Meats CEO LinkedIn Post, [Date], [Link] [4] GFI Report, [Date], [Link]
- With the completion of Believer Meats' large-scale production facility in North Carolina and the securing of the FDA's "no questions" letter, the company is aiming to revolutionize the food-and-drink industry and contribute to sustainable lifestyles by offering safe cultivated meat products.
- As Believer Meats navigates the regulatory landscape, it is also focusing on strategically investing in technology to improve efficiency and lower costs, aiming to compete favorably in the business sector and attract the attention of finance stakeholders.
- The cultivated meat industry is experiencing growth, with Believer Meats, Good Meat (Eat Just), UPSIDE Foods, Mission Barns, Wildtype, and others making progress in securing regulatory approvals. However, challenges persist in areas like scaling production, reducing costs, and obtaining further funding for this burgeoning field of technology-driven business.
