© Uncommon

Politics & Law

UK Food Standards Agency Unveils New Guidance on Authorisation Process for Cell-Cultivated Products in Great Britain

The UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) has recently released guidance for businesses on cell-cultivated products and the authorisation process to market these products in Great Britain.  The FSA is responsible for food safety and food hygiene in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. However, this guide is specific to England and Wales.  The FSA’s new guidance combines general food law regulations with novel food and GMO regulations and offers business advice to streamline the authorisation process. It includes definitions, status, application details, and recommendations on product safety, labelling, and tasting trials. The UK government has been looking to streamline the approval for cultivated meat to boost food security and sustainability. Meanwhile, the first cultivated meat product on the market is still pending in the UK. To …

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Czech startup Bene Meat Technologies (BMT) has become the first company in the world to obtain EU Certification to produce and sell cultivated meat for pet food.

© Bene Meat Technologies (BMT)

Pet Food

Bene Meat Technologies Receives First-Ever EU Approval for Cultivated Meat for Pet Food 

Article amendment 21st November: please refer to the situation in full as described here, with the series of events updated with further developments since this story was first published on 8th November. Czech startup Bene Meat Technologies (BMT) claims it has become the first company in the world to receive EU Certification to produce and sell cultivated meat for pet food. It was only this January that the startup announced it was developing animal cell lines to produce cultivated meat ingredients for the pet food industry. Nonetheless, today, BMT announces that it has received a license from the European Feed Materials Register to commercialise its products. This organization oversees the authorization of additives and covers for animal feed in the EU and EEA markets.   …

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Ivy Farm Sausage

Image courtesy of Ivy Farm

Politics & Law

UK Government Seeks to Accelerate Approval of Cultivated Meat to Boost Food Security and Sustainability

UK ministers and regulators are looking to accelerate the approval of cultivated meat to boost food security and sustainability, reports The Telegraph.  Expediting the arrival of novel sustainable proteins to the market involves acknowledging the impact of animal agriculture on global warming, the rising costs of meat, and the growing population trend. George Freeman, Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation, told The Telegraph that more than traditional husbandry may be required to meet the increasing demand for meat. Approval for the first cultivated meat product is still pending in the UK. Only the Israeli company Aleph Farms has submitted a pre-market authorization dossier to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to launch cultivated beef steaks in the country. The company is also seeking regulatory approval in Europe. Streamlining the approval …

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Natures Fynd cheese spread on bagel

© Nature's Fynd

Company News

Nature’s Fynd Receives Health Canada’s Approval to Market Alt Products Powered by the “Fungus from Yellowstone Park”

Chicago-based Nature’s Fynd has received authorization from Health Canada, the federal department responsible for national health standards and policy, to commercialize its alt meat and dairy products made with a novel fungi protein called Fy. Nature’s Fynd grows its fungi protein using proprietary fermentation and a fungus called Fusarium strain flavolapis, discovered in Yellowstone Park’s geothermal springs. The novel protein is used as a whole ingredient to make animal-free foods. According to Health Canada, the product approval came after a comprehensive assessment of Fy Protein’s safety for human consumption. In the USA, Nature’s Fynd received FDA greenlight for its fungi ingredient in March 2021.  Similarly, the Canadian food company Smallfood also discovered a wild microalgae strain capable of producing premium proteins through biomass fermentation. The company is …

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Aleph Farms launches Aleph Cuts brand ahead of commercialization

Image courtesy of Aleph Farms

Company News

Aleph Farms Submits Dossier to Launch Cultivated Beef Steaks in the UK

Only a few days after becoming the first company to seek regulatory approval for cultivated meat in Europe, the Israeli company Aleph Farms announces it has submitted a pre-market authorization dossier to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to launch cultivated beef steaks in the UK. The news comes just in time to celebrate tomorrow’s anniversary of the world’s first-ever cultivated beef burger, developed by Dr. Mark Post and presented in London ten years ago. Since then, the industry has achieved various milestones in bringing cultivated meat to consumers. While Aleph Farms seeks to launch Aleph Cuts in the old continent, cultivated meat has been available in Singapore since December 2020. And with recent FDA approvals, US consumers can try cultivated chicken at China Chilcano restaurant or at Bar Crenn. …

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Aleph Cuts cultivated steak

© Aleph Farms

Cultivated Meat

First European Application for the Sale of Cultivated Meat – What You Need to Know

Israel’s Aleph Farms has submitted an application to Swiss regulators to sell its cultivated beef. Aleph Farm’s application to the Swiss authorities is submitted with the goal of selling the world’s first cultivated beef steaks under the Aleph Cuts brand in Switzerland, which would represent the first in the continent if approval is granted.   A life-cycle assessment shows that cultivated beef could result in a reduction of 92% of carbon footprint if renewable energy is used in the production process, 95% of land use and 78% of water requirements, compared to conventional beef production. Swiss and EU regulatory processes In a manner similar to that of the European Union, the Swiss regulatory framework encompasses a robust and well-founded procedure for assessing the safety of …

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Aleph Farms submited an application to Swiss regulators, marking the first-ever submission for cultivated meat in europe

© Aleph Farms

Company News

Aleph Farms Becomes First in Europe to Submit Cultivated Meat for Novel Foods Approval in Switzerland

Cultivated meat company Aleph Farms announces it has initiated the regulatory approval process to commercialize in Switzerland its premium Angus-style thin cultivated steak — dubbed the Petit Steak and claimed as the world’s first cultivated steak — marking it the first-ever submission for cultivated meat in Europe. Aleph Farms says it has submitted an application for placing on the market novel and novel traditional foodstuffs to the Swiss Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO). It is worth noting that if Aleph Farms gets novel food approval in Switzerland, the EU requires authorization from the European Commission for market placement in the region.  The Israeli company has previously announced plans to launch its brand of cultivated meat Aleph Cuts in Singapore and Israel in limited quantities (tasting experiences) once the …

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Cultivated meat made with serum-free cell growth media

© Eat Just

Company News

Setting the Record Straight: Eat Just is First Cultivated Meat Company to Receive USDA Label Approval

In a turn of events, and further to our article published some hours ago, UPSIDE Foods is in fact the second cultivated meat company in the US to receive label approval from USDA, not the first, as the company claimed in its widely distributed press release today. Following the publication of the UPSIDE news on ours and other platforms, Eat Just contacts vegconomist to set the record straight: “GOOD Meat (Eat Just’s cultivated arm) received approval of our label on June 8,” says the California food tech, adding that the company was not planning to make an announcement until after it had received its Grant of Inspection, representing the final step in the regulatory approval process. What came first, the chicken or the … chicken? …

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Remilk animal-free milk protein

© Remilk

Milk- and Dairy Alternatives

“Historic Achievement” as Remilk Receives Regulatory Approval for Animal-Free Milk Protein

Remilk has become the first company ever to receive regulatory approval for animal-free milk protein from the Israeli Ministry of Health. Described as a “historic achievement”, the approval will allow products made with Remilk proteins to be sold to Israeli consumers. This will make Israel one of the first countries worldwide to offer consumers real animal-free dairy products without lactose or cholesterol. Thorough testing by the Ministry of Health has determined that Remilk’s product is “safe, of high-quality, and identical to its cow-derived counterpart”. “The breakthrough achievement of Remilk’s R&D team lies in its success in converting a technology that has been used for decades to create components for the food industry (such as vitamins and enzymes) in small quantities, to produce one of the …

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Peace of Meat's cultivated poultry

© Peace of Meat

Company News

Peace of Meat Refocuses Resources Ahead of Cultivated Avian Product Launch in Singapore 

As part of its plan to launch a cultivated avian product onto the Singaporean market, Israeli 3D-printed cultivated meat company Steakholder Foods has announced a strategic restructuring of its Belgian subsidiary, Peace of Meat (PoM). The changes are designed to streamline PoM’s operations and position it for success. “Today’s announcement is an important step in our efforts to successfully launch a product in the Singaporean market,” said Arik Kaufman, Steakholder Foods’ CEO. Refocusing resources PoM’s 2023 business plan will focus on regulatory submissions for its avian product. This includes submitting to the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) by the end of the year and preparing for submission in the USA. To speed up production, PoM will outsource production to a third-party plant, thus eliminating the need to …

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cultivated quail

© Vow

Cultivated Meat

Vow Begins Regulatory Approval Process to Launch Cultivated Quail in Australia by 2024

Australia’s Vow has become the first cultivated meat company in the country to begin the regulatory approval process with Food Standards Australian New Zealand (FSANZ), hoping to launch a line of cultivated quail called Morsel in restaurants by 2024. The food tech announces it had submitted an application seeking to amend the food standards code to approve its novel food, stating its cultivated quail is safe to eat.  Now the FSANZ needs to conduct its scientific and safety assessment to confirm the safety of Vow’s manufacturing process, stability of the cell line, ingredients, and final product.  Rare Japanese quail Vow’s cultivated quail originates from cells of the rare Japanese quail, Coturnix japonica. According to the food tech, it has a stable quail cell line that does …

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Bored Cow Original

© Bored Cow

Milk- and Dairy Alternatives

This Week in Alt Dairy News: Innovations Fuel the New Dairy Revolution

This week in alt dairy news, featuring three new innovations from Oatly, Bored Cow, and Remilk. We note Oatly’s oat-based cream cheese launch, not in Sweden but in Philadelphia, where cream cheese is said to be born; Bored Cow launches Bored Cow Original, “the first milk alternative to do it all”; and Remilk’s whey proteins receive safety approval in important and dynamic markets. Dear readers, animal-free dairy is here to stay.  Oatly’s new Philadelphia style cream cheese Oatly has announced a limited release of its newest innovation, an oat-based cream cheese developed by Oatly’s Philadelphia-based food scientists, in the style of the famous Philadelphia spread. The new plant-based cream cheese will launch exclusively in “Philly” before it’s released to the U.S. market later this year. …

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Cultivated meat in Australiav George Peppou, CEO, Matt Kean, NSW Treasurer, Tim Noakesmith, Cofounder

Vow's CEO George Peppou (left) Matt Kean, NSW Treasurer, and Tim Noakesmith, Vow's co-founder (right) © Vow

Cultivated Meat

Vow Says it Has Opened the Largest Cultivated Meat Facility in the Southern Hemisphere

Vow announces it has officially opened its Factory 1 in the presence of the New South Wales Treasurer and Energy Minister Matt Kean. The Australian cultivated meat startup states this is the largest cultivated facility both in Australia and the entire Southern Hemisphere. Vow claims that Factory 1 can produce 30 tonnes of meat annually and that this makes it the largest of its kind in the entire hemisphere. The company also announces that its Factory 2, with capability to produce 100x this scale, is already under development. Cultivated quail? Located in Alexandria, Sydney; Factory 1 has already produced successful runs of cultivated meat. The company says that its first product will soon be revealed to the world, which has been reported as being a …

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DSM life's Omega

©DSM

Algae, Microalgae & Seaweed

DSM’s “Game-Changing” Vegan Omega-3 Oil Gets EU Regulatory Approval

DSM announces that its life’s™OMEGA product, an algae-derived source of DHA and EPA omega-3 fatty acids, has been approved for use in meat and fish alternatives by the European Commission across the European Union. DSM claims that life’s™OMEGA is the first commercially available single-source, algae-derived vegan omega-3 oil in the EU. According to DSM, life’s™OMEGA is a significant development for the plant-based industry because it will allow food manufacturers to improve the nutritional profile of fish and meat alternatives with EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids similar to those in fish, and “opens an opportunity for the next generation of nutritious plant-based alternatives”. Gilbert Verschelling, director of business development & innovation, savory ingredients at DSM, said: “The regulatory approval of life’s™OMEGA in the EU is a game-changer for …

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IntegriCulture cell cultivated meat

© IntegriCulture

Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

Health Ministry of Japan Moving Forward on Cultivated Meat Regulations 

The Health Ministry of Japan starts the process of regulatory approval for cultivated meat  As cultivated meat companies around the world await regulatory approval for the commercialization of their real meat grown from cells, the Japanese government has begun the process of approval for the country. The Health, Labor, and Welfare Ministry of Japan is to form a team of experts to study the safety of cultivated meat and its production process.  As first reported by Japan News, the team of experts, as part of efforts to decide what regulations may be necessary, will be created this fiscal year to investigate whether there are risks in the cultivation process that could adversely affect human health. This is one of the first steps toward the eventual …

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©Mission Barns

Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

Mission Barns: Cultivated Meat Products Ready for Market Launch Pending Regulatory Approval

US food tech Mission Barns has unveiled its new headquarters and cultivated fat production plant, claiming to be fully prepared to hit the market with its cultivated fat products. However, the San Francisco-based company must first wait for regulatory approval from the USDA and FDA before it can finally sell its cultivated fat and plant-based protein food products.  Focusing on hybrid products of plant-based ingredients and animal fat cultivated from cells, Mission Barns is one of a growing group of companies, consumers, and investors who believe these hybrid products present the most sustainable and appealing future of alt meat. Mission Barns CEO Eitan Fischer is confident the regulatory green light will come soon, according to a report from Food Dive. Fischer, a former director of …

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Mosa Meat Cultivated Burger

Cultivated burger © Mosa Meat

Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

Cultured Meat Law Breakthrough in the Netherlands as Public Samplings Approved

In another step forward for the European cultivated meat industry, the government of the Netherlands has passed a motion to legalize the sampling of cell-cultured meat products. The legal breakthrough could pave the way for cultivated meat to be sold in supermarkets within a few years, according to Dutch manufacturers.  “Cultivated meat deserves a fair chance and that’s why we have to make tastings possible” The motion, proposed by the D66 and VVD parties, was passed in the House of Representatives this week making it legally possible to host public samplings of cultivated meat products. Although public sampling in order to gain acceptance, support, and feedback is currently legal in many European countries, the law had held back some of the Dutch originators of the …

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Ivy Farm Sausage

Image courtesy of Ivy Farm

Politics & Law

Update to UK’s Novel Foods Regulations Will Boost Sustainable Protein Innovation

The UK’s novel foods regulations will be reviewed to make them more “transparent and effective”, the country’s government has announced. In a report titled The Benefits of Brexit: How the UK is taking advantage of leaving the EU, the government says it will no longer be necessary to follow the EU process for approving novel foods. Instead, the UK will have a system specifically designed to “support innovation in the sustainable protein sector”. According to the report, the government will work with the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to update the regulatory framework, creating a system that is “the best in the world for innovators, investors, and consumers”. Inefficiency and expense The news will be music to the ears of British alt-protein companies — particularly those …

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cultivated chicken breast

GOOD Meat: Cultivated Chicken on Greens © Eat Just

Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

Eat Just Receives Regulatory Approval to Sell Cultivated Chicken Breast in Singapore

GOOD Meat, the cultivated meat division of alt-protein company Eat Just, has achieved a new milestone with the regulatory approval of its cultivated chicken breast in Singapore. It has now been a year since GOOD Meat received regulatory approval for its chicken nuggets in the country, becoming the first company worldwide to sell cultivated meat commercially. Singapore is taking a progressive stance towards cultivated products as part of its 30×30 strategy, which aims for 30% of the country’s food to be produced locally by 2030. Customers will first be able to sample the cultivated chicken breast next week at the JW Marriott Hotel in Singapore South Beach. Next year, there are plans for the chicken to become available at some of Singapore’s famous hawker stalls, …

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