Webinar Recap: Rethinking Food: APAC as a Living Lab for the Future | update #15
The recording of our recent webinar, “Rethinking Food: APAC as a Living Lab for the Future,” is now available on the vegconomist YouTube channel. This session explored the transformative role the APAC region is playing in the future of food innovation. Moderated by Nadine Filko, the webinar brought together a diverse panel of experts: Megumi Abigail Yoshitomi, President of the Japan Association for Cellular Agriculture; Byron Perez, Programme Doctorate at …
Government Actions in the Alternative Protein Industry: Key Developments in H1 2025
The alternative protein industry continues to draw attention from governments worldwide, with a mix of investment support and regulatory measures shaping its growth. The data in this article, compiled by Nicholas Dahl, founder and CEO of Alternative Proteins Global, reflects actions taken by governments in the first half of 2025, impacting companies working in alternative protein technologies. This update focuses on direct government involvement and regulatory actions. Investments & funding …
Japan Prepares to Release Interim Guidelines for Cultivated Food Safety
Japan’s regulatory framework for cultivated foods is in development, with discussions centered around safety procedures, risk management, and the potential release of sales guidelines. The Consumer Affairs Agency’s Food Safety Standards Council, Subcommittee on Newly Developed Foods, is working toward these guidelines, with a draft expected as early as this summer. The Subcommittee, primarily guided by a working group from the National Institute of Health Sciences (NIHS), has been reviewing …
FDA Commissioner Calls Biotech in Food a “Huge Interest” for the Agency, Sparking Anger from US Cattle Industry
During a March 29 budget hearing for the US Food and Drug Administration, FDA Commissioner Robert Califf made references to climate change and suggested that the use of biotechnology in food (including cell-cultured meat) was an area of “huge interest” that could help mitigate these issues. Califf’s comments quickly sparked outrage from the US cattle industry, who accused the commissioner of inappropriately promoting an environmental policy and endorsing cultivated meat …
Standardization Will be Vital to Create Trust in Cultivated Meat, Says BSI Report
The United Kingdom’s national standards body, the British Standards Institution (BSI), has released a report titled “The Future of Sustainable Alternative Proteins: Cultivated Meats“. The document explores the role that standardization could play in creating trust in cultivated meat. As the biotech sector is rapidly developing, standardization could mandate the quality and consistency of technologies and ensure their compatibility, interoperability, and safety. BSI’s whitepaper investigates how shared standards can advance …
Japanese PM Kishida Announces Intention to Develop Japan’s Cultivated Meat Industry
During a House of Representatives Budget Committee hearing, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced his intention to develop Japan’s cultivated meat industry, reports Nikkei. At the meeting, he stated that he would foster Japanese food tech businesses by promoting the sector and improving the market, including safety assurance measures and developing labelling rules. Responding to Mr. Nobuhiro Nakayama of the Liberal Democratic Party, who was also at the Budget Committee, …
Mosa Meat on Cultivated Beef as Top Discussion at COP27
Mosa Meat, the Netherlands company that famously developed the first hamburger made from cultivated beef back in 2013, is in attendance at COP27 to represent the cultivated meat sector. Maarten Bosch, CEO of Mosa Meat — which has raised over $85M to date from investors including Leonardo DiCaprio — gives his insights into the discussions at the conference and how world leaders are looking towards cultivated meat as a way …
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization Assesses Safety and Regulations of Cultivated Meat
The United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is now assessing important food safety and regulatory concerns regarding cultivated meat. The organization released several documents discussing food safety aspects of cultivated meat products, including language and terminologies, common production processes, and regulatory frameworks. Labeling and terminology The FAO points out that since cultivated meats represent an emerging commodity, the terminology used to describe its processes and products remain inconsistent. A …