Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

First Application For Cell-Cultured Meat in Europe is a Positive Sign For Nutritional Transformation

Food tech company Aleph Farms recently announced that it has applied to sell its cultivated beef steaks in Switzerland. Mathilde Alexandre, Corporate and Institutional Engagement Manager at ProVeg International describes the move as extremely encouraging.

“The submission shows that cellular agriculture is rapidly evolving and approaching commercialization,” explains Alexandre.

This June, US authorities approved two companies to sell cell-cultured chicken in restaurants. In Singapore, a so-called hybrid product with cell-cultured animal fat has been on the market for two years.

Government support crucial for market development

“In order for cell-cultured meat to help transform our food system, European countries must actively promote further applications for approval. The Netherlands have already taken a step in the right direction,” Alexandre continued.

The Dutch government last month passed a deal that allows for pre-market tastings of cell-cultured foods.

Cultivated meat made with serum-free cell growth media
© Eat Just

Technology promises protection of resources

Alexandre also points to the great sustainability potential of the new technology: “Areas that have so far been used for animal husbandry could be used for afforestation, the protection of biological diversity and renaturation thanks to cellular agriculture. All these measures allow nature to regenerate and absorb more CO2.”

Using renewable energy, cell-cultured beef can reduce CO2 emissions by an estimated 92 percent compared to conventionally produced products. The land requirement would decrease by about 95 percent and the water requirement by about 78 percent.

In 2022, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) therefore identified cellular agriculture, alongside plant-based nutrition, as an important way of limiting the pressure on our finite natural resources.

More on this at www.proveg.com/de




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