Sébastien Louvion, Chief Regulatory Officer at precision fermentation company Standing Ovation, has been confirmed for a second term as President of Food Fermentation Europe (FFE), the Brussels-based industry association representing the fermentation-enabled food and ingredients sector in Europe. The renewal covers a one-year mandate.
Louvion first took on the presidency in January 2025, succeeding Jevan Nagarajah of Better Dairy. Before assuming the presidency, he had served on FFE’s board since 2023 and chaired the association’s Regulatory Committee.
“I thank the members of Food Fermentation Europe for their renewed confidence”
With a career spanning more than 25 years across food law and regulatory affairs, Louvion began as an attorney at Keller and Heckman LLP, practicing in Washington, D.C. and Brussels with a focus on food regulation. He later joined international law firm Mayer Brown before moving in-house, holding senior roles at Danone and General Mills France. He joined Standing Ovation in 2022. Louvion holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Richmond and is a member of the Washington, D.C. Bar.
FFE was founded in 2023 by five precision fermentation companies: Better Dairy, Formo, Imagindairy, Onego Bio, and Those Vegan Cowboys. The association has since grown to include Standing Ovation, Vivici, Bon Vivant, and MicroHarvest, the latter joining as FFE’s first biomass fermentation member. German retailer REWE Group became FFE’s first retail member in 2025.
Regulatory access as a central priority
Under his renewed mandate, Louvion has indicated that FFE will maintain its focus on pushing for clearer and more innovation-friendly regulatory frameworks for fermentation technologies in Europe, with an emphasis on Novel Food approval processes and dialogue with EU institutions. The association has consistently argued that Europe risks ceding ground to other markets that have moved faster on approvals for precision fermentation products.
Louvion commented, “I thank the members of Food Fermentation Europe for their renewed confidence. Fermentation represents a unique opportunity to build food systems that are simultaneously sustainable, innovative, and competitive. Europe possesses major scientific and industrial assets; it is now essential to create the regulatory and political conditions that allow these innovations to fully reach the market and consumers.”
