I was invited to attend a small evening event with the chefs at Wildair preparing several dishes featuring UPSIDE Foods’ latest chicken product. It was the first time I’ve eaten real chicken in over a decade, and I was excited!
I had the unique opportunity to join just a few dozen other guests on a cold winter evening in a cozy restaurant in the Lower East Side of Manhattan for an event featuring cocktails, small bites, and lively conversation. What was so unique about this, you may ask? It was hosted by UPSIDE Foods—one of two companies approved to sell cultivated chicken meat in the US—and the small plates showcased UPSIDE’s not-yet-approved next-generation chicken product.
Guests also had the opportunity to taste UPSIDE’s whole chicken breast, currently approved for sale and available in select restaurants, seared and seasoned simply to let the chicken be the star.
UPSIDE chicken is produced by cultivating cells taken from a chicken egg, growing the cells into animal muscle in steel vats akin to what you might see in a microbrewery. Using animal cells means the final product looks, feels, cooks, and tastes exactly like muscle from a raised and slaughtered animal. That’s because, well, it is! Without the pain, cruelty, disease, waste, and slaughter.
So, what did I think of the chicken?
It’s Delicious!
First and foremost, the food tasted amazing. Sure, the small plates were prepared by skilled chefs and incorporated other ingredients and seasonings to craft a yummy bite. But the point was to celebrate the chicken, and each dish did just that. It was crispy, tender, and full of flavor.
In addition to the prepared plates, I watched an UPSIDE chef cook live for us, preparing the whole breast product by pan-searing it in olive oil, with dashes of salt, pepper, lemon, and parsley. The raw chicken breast looked just like the ones behind plastic wrap in the grocery store. As it cooked, the smell of chicken permeated the small space. I snagged a cooked piece as the plate was passed around, and I could see the intricate layers of muscle. I popped the bite of lightly seasoned chicken into my mouth and was amazed by the texture and flavor. Which brings us to the next key point…
It’s Chicken!
The simple and delightful fact of the matter is: UPSIDE’s chicken is just chicken. Full stop. I heard this refrain in various forms from the other guests. We all came to the event with preconceived notions of what we were about to taste. We knew it was innovative. We knew it was new. We knew that it could be the “future of food.” But at its core, UPSIDE has produced chicken meat by growing chicken cells and the result is…chicken! It’s glorious in its simplicity.
It’s More Than “Meats” the Eye
At the same time, it’s so much more than just chicken (bear with me here!). The potential for transforming our currently cruel and destructive food system cannot be overstated. Factory farming—the current model for raising and killing animals for food—is one of the greatest sources of animal suffering worldwide. In the US alone, 9 billion individual, sentient, and unique chickens are raised and killed every year to serve chicken meat to a wide range of consumers. For many, chicken is familiar, versatile, and affordable. But behind the chicken on most people’s plates today is a hidden system that is depleting our soil, polluting our air and water, exploiting farmers and workers, spreading harmful bacteria, and treating animals like products valued only for their parts.
Cultivated meat has the power to up-end this system.
Am I Still Vegan?!
Perhaps top of mind for me as I reflect on the event is a personal question: am I still vegan if I eat this chicken? To be frank, the more I reflect on it the less I’m sure this question matters.
For one thing, companies like UPSIDE aren’t trying to appeal to vegans (though I’m sure they’d accept our money just the same). Rather, they’re hoping to appeal to most Americans who, on average, eat over 100 pounds of chicken every year. The meaningful impact will come when these folks are able to access and willing to purchase cultivated meats.
Furthermore, getting bogged down in labels risks losing focus on what’s important: saving animal lives, preventing suffering, and protecting the health of our planet. If animal protein, regardless of its origin, doesn’t have a place on your plate that’s fine! You can continue helping animals by telling others about UPSIDE and the impact they could have by choosing cultivated chicken when it comes to market. It’s an exciting time, and people need to know.
My Conclusion: Embrace the UPSIDE
The “future of food” is here and it’s not science fiction—it’s integrating compassion and kindness into how every producer, business, and consumer makes their food choices. The planet and the animals who share it with us can’t wait for us to debate and hesitate on viable, innovative solutions that could displace factory farming.
Have questions about cultivated meat? The Cultivator, our AI chatbot, has answers for you! You can also follow UPSIDE for the latest updates on the future of food.