Mission Barns has received approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for its cultivated pork fat, allowing the ingredient to enter the US market. The approval includes a grant of USDA inspection for the company’s San Francisco pilot facility and a label sign-off for its cultivated fat ingredient, which previously gained FDA approval earlier this year.
Mission Barns is now preparing for limited, high-impact launches, including targeted product releases with retail and food service partners such as Sprouts Farmers Market and San Francisco restaurant Fiorella. Sprouts locations in the Bay Area will offer Mission Barns Cultivated Italian-Style Meatballs, while Chef Brandon Gillis at Fiorella has created seasonal Italian dishes featuring Mission Barns’ cultivated fat, including meatballs and bacon.
Through these collaborations, Mission Barns aims to show potential B2B partners and consumers that its cultivated fat can provide superior flavor, mouthfeel, and functional benefits across diverse applications. The fat solutions are claimed to have an unparalleled ability to replicate the richness and depth of conventional meat products.
“This approval validates our core technology and opens the door to deeper collaborations,” said Cecilia Chang, Chief Business Officer at Mission Barns. “Our mission has always been to solve the biggest barrier to alternative proteins — taste. Cultivated fat is the key. We’re here to give food companies and manufacturers the missing ingredient that helps their products stand out: Mission Fat.”
“Clear and growing interest”
Mission Barns’ products are produced using its proprietary bioreactor technology, which is purpose-built to scale high-quality cultivated fat with commercial efficiency. The company says the technology allows it to serve a growing network of ingredient and co-development partners across the food service and CPG sectors.
Having secured regulatory approvals, Mission Barns is now working to accelerate B2B engagement across the U.S. and internationally. The company is currently building a partner pipeline, working with food leaders who are looking for sustainable ingredients that deliver on taste.
“There’s a clear and growing interest in cultivated fat, not just in the U.S. but globally,” said Chang. “We’re currently in talks with potential partners in our pipeline who have expressed a strong need for our Mission Fat, and we’re strategically positioned to scale our operations and meet that anticipated demand. We’re excited to expand our reach and bring our innovative products to consumers worldwide.”
