Upside Foods Lays Off 26 People in Wake of Florida Cultivated Meat Ban

Just a few days after hosting a cultivated chicken product tasting party in Miami, Fla. — ahead of that state’s ban on cultivated meat — processor Upside Foods is laying off 26 workers and restructuring its executive and leadership teams, as noted in an email obtained by science and tech magazine Wired.

The Florida ban on cultivated meat took effect on July 1, and that, coupled with increased challenges to attract investment by companies in the cultivated meat space, has Upside Foods reacting to tighten its focus and get its products launched. The company is still one of two (Eat Just is the other) approved by FDA and USDA to sell their chicken product in the U.S., but delays and hurdles continue to arise.

The June 27 event, which offered 100 people free tastings of the Upside Foods cultivated chicken product, was designed to celebrate and advocate “for food freedom and innovation that can help build a better future,” a release noted at the time.

Regarding the current layoffs, an Upside Foods spokesperson told Wired in a statement that the cuts were needed for the company “to stay agile in the face of an uncertain macroeconomic environment and preserve the resources needed to reach our milestones.”