APAC Regulatory Coordination Forum Releases White Papers to Harmonize Cultivated Meat Standards
The APAC Regulatory Coordination Forum has released two white papers that address essential safety and regulatory concerns for cultivated meat to support their commercialization while promoting safe innovations in the Asia-Pacific market. The new resources examine current gaps in cell line developments and cell culture media components — the building blocks of cultivated meat production — identified as the two regulatory topics of highest interest in 2024. The cell line …
The Better Meat Co. Expands to Asia with Singapore Approval for Rhiza Mycoprotein
California’s The Better Meat Co. (BMC) announces it has received approval from the Singapore Food Authority to sell its flagship, single-ingredient Rhiza mycoprotein in the country. The approval confirms that Neurospora crassa, the fungi genus that BMC uses in its biomass fermentation process to make the mycoprotein, is safe for human consumption. Neurospora crassa has been traditionally used in Asian foods such as tempeh and oncom, but it has never been used …
UK Invests £1.6 Million in Europe’s First Regulatory Sandbox to Fast-Track Cultivated Meat Approvals
The UK government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has announced £1.6 million in funding for a regulatory “sandbox” within the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS), specifically for cultivated meat and seafood. Claimed as Europe’s first, the sandbox aims to accelerate the authorization process for these novel proteins. Cultivated meat must undergo a comprehensive food safety assessment in alignment with the UK’s existing regulatory framework …
EFSA’s Call for Pre-Submission Advice for SMEs on Novel Food Applications Ends Soon
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is inviting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) working on novel food products to receive advice on the requirements for applications to obtain authorization to market their innovations in the EU market. As stated by EFSA, the initiative aims to support SMEs with no or limited experience by providing general pre-submission advice (GPSA) at two stages of their novel food development and application process: At …
AQUA Cultured Foods’ Fermented Fish-Free Seafood Receives GRAS Allowing Sale in US
Chicago-based alternative protein company AQUA Cultured Foods has announced that its fish-free seafood, created through fermentation, has been deemed safe for human consumption. The company’s cellulose-based products have been self-affirmed as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) following a review by an independent panel of scientific and toxicology experts. This GRAS status allows AQUA Cultured Foods to sell its products in the United States. Cellulose-based alt seafood AQUA’s fish-free seafood, which …
The Better Meat Co. Receives FDA GRAS ‘No Questions’ Letter for Rhiza Mycoprotein
California’s The Better Meat Co. (BMC), a B2B supplier of mycoprotein, announces that it has received the FDA’s “no questions” letter, confirming that its Rhiza mycoprotein, derived from the mycelium of the fungi genus Neurospora crassa, is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for human consumption. BMC now joins Quorn, ENOUGH (we have yet to verify on this count), and Nature’s Fynd in receiving FDA support for such ingredients, according to …
Singapore Proposes Revision of Novel Food Approvals with New “Defined Food” Category
The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) recently issued a new draft, the Food Safety and Security Bill (FSSB), proposing a new category, “Defined Food,” and new requirements for pre-market approval of these foods or ingredients. Under the FSSB, novel foods would be considered a sub-category of “Defined Food,” along with genetically modified (GM) foods, and insect-like species, all subject already to pre-market approval but …
TurtleTree Obtains First-Ever Self-GRAS Status for Precision Fermentation-Derived Lactoferrin
Singaporean biotech TurtleTree claims that it has obtained the world’s first self-GRAS status (generally recognized as safe) by the FDA for a precision fermentation-derived lactoferrin, making it also the first Singaporean company to obtain self-GRAS for a synbio protein. This status confirms that TurtleTree’s animal-free lactoferrin is safe for human consumption, allowing the company to commercialize it in the USA. In May, the company unveiled the protein, branded under L+, claiming it …