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 …
EU Commission Deems Hungary’s Proposed Cultivated Meat Ban ‘Unjustified'”
Following the TRIS assessment, the European Commission has deemed the Hungarian ban on cultured meat “unjustified” and potentially harmful to the European single market, reports the Good Food Institute. According to the Commission, the ban could disrupt the harmonized authorization procedure for novel foods at the EU level, which involves scientific evaluation by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The Commission and some Member States also highlighted that Hungary had …
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 …
Fermify Secures US GRAS Status for Fermented Casein, Animal-Free Dairy Tastings on Horizon
Fermify, an Austrian precision fermentation company developing milk proteins, announces it has obtained self-affirmed Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status for its precision-fermented casein after conducting a comprehensive safety study, as per FDA requirements. The GRAS milestone validates the quality and safety of Fermify’s casein and is crucial for introducing animal-free cheese and dairy products to the US market. It also positions Fermify as one of the few suppliers of …
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 …
JACA Unveils Blueprint for Cultivated Meat Safety & Regulation in Japan, Calls for Expert Feedback
The Japan Association for Cellular Agriculture (JACA) has released an extensive report, in English, analyzing international trends in the safety and regulatory assessment of cultivated meat. JACA, which works on policy-making to bring cell-based foods to the Japanese market, has plans to propose safety assessment criteria for Japanese regulatory authorities to continue building the country’s Novel Foods framework. With this report, the group is taking proactive steps to align Japan’s …
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 …
South Korea Designates Regulation-Free Zone for Cultivated Meat to Boost Production & Safety
The South Korean government has announced the designation of a special regulatory-free zone in Gyeongsangbuk-do province to accelerate the production and commercialization of cultivated meat in the country. The zone, officially named the Gyeongbuk Cell-Cultivated Foods Regulatory-Free Special Zone (RFSZ), aims to address the legal obstacles facing the development of cell culture food products, establish global standards for these novel foods, and develop a skilled workforce for the cultivated meat …
Bene Meat Technologies Signs Open Letter Urging the EU to Review Italy’s Cultivated Meat Safety Concerns
Czech cultivated meat company Bene Meat Technologies has sent an open letter to the European Commission asking it to review Italy’s ban on cultivated meat due to safety concerns and its compliance with EU law. The letter states that Italy’s ban on the technology was based on unfounded scientific claims about its safety, disregarding the EU’s standard food safety assessment mechanisms while violating the common market principle, posing a threat to …