EU agriculture ministers in talks over cultured meat regulation

23 Jan 2024 --- Following cultured meat’s market approvals in Singapore, the US and Israel, EU regulators are meeting today to set up policies to incubate the new food tech sector. What is widely considered the next big break for sustainable food has attracted the attention of historically plant-based supporters under ProVeg, who are now rallying behind meat produced with significantly fewer inputs than intensively farmed livestock.

The organization endorses the “significant economic and environmental benefits” offered within Europe’s established regulatory framework for cell-based goods, which it hails as an emerging “gold standard” for approving these new products.

EU Agriculture Ministers are meeting to discuss the regulation of cultivated meat within the 27 Member State bloc. 

“We already have the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the Novel Foods Regulation to ensure safe and nutritious products are brought quickly to the EU market,” says Jasmijn de Boo, global CEO of ProVeg International.

“This firmly sets up the EU to be a Silicon Valley for cultivated meat companies, bringing income security and improved livelihoods to thousands of farmers and giving a much-needed boost to biodiversity where land is freed up. It is a hugely exciting time for the bloc,” De Boo adds.

De Boo warns that the EU is required to effectively allay any concerns about cultivated meat — or otherwise “risk falling behind in the global agri-tech race” — to benefit from the emerging industry. These concerns are to be addressed in today’s meeting.

“Singapore and the US have already approved a handful of products, leading the way for others to follow. So the EU already has some catching up to do. But the ground has been prepared and innovative European companies are already gearing up to bring their products to European consumers,” De Boo reveals.

Cultivated chicken by Eat Just (Image credit: Eat Just).Sizeable economic benefits
Alternative proteins are expected to reach between 11% and 22% of the overall protein market by 2035, highlights ProVeg. It outlines that the global market size specifically for cultivated meat could represent US$20 billion by 2030. 

“Studies also have high confidence that a developing cultivated meat industry will create new employment opportunities and benefit food security, human health and animals. If the EU takes a bold, innovation-forward approach, these baseline forecasts could be surpassed,” states ProVeg.

The Netherlands, Spain and Germany have invested substantially in cultivated meat.

In April 2022, the Dutch government officially voiced its support for creating a national cellular agriculture ecosystem as part of the country’s National Growth Fund. It earmarked €60 million (US$65 million) through its National Growth Fund to build up the cellular meat and agriculture ecosystem.

Last July, the Netherlands joined an exclusive club of countries like Singapore, Israel and the US that allow tastings of cultivated meat, fish and seafood samples.

Meanwhile, the Spanish government, through the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology, awarded €5.2 million (US$5.7 million) to a cultivated meat project led by BioTech Foods that is investigating the health impacts of cultivated meat in the prevention of colon cancer and dyslipidemia.

In Germany, the government announced late last year that it had earmarked €38 million (US$41.4 million) in its 2024 budget to promote plant-based, precision-fermented and cell-cultivated proteins.

However, the first submission for approval for cultivated meat in Europe happened outside the EU in Switzerland when Aleph Farms submitted approval for cultivated beef steaks this year from the Swiss authorities. The same company has also sought approval from the UK authorities for its cell-based steak, which was greenlighted for commercial sale in Israel last week.

Cell-based chicken by Upside Foods (Image credit: Upside Foods).Eco-advantages for clean meat
ProVeg supports that scaling up cultivated meat production will facilitate a “host of environmental benefits.” A life-cycle assessment by CE Delft in the Netherlands shows that cultivated beef could reduce 92% of its carbon footprint if renewable energy is used in the production process.

The study also finds that cell-based beef could slash up to 95% of land use and 78% of water requirements, compared to conventional beef production.

“In addition, cultivated meat will allow the freeing-up of more land currently dedicated to animal agriculture, allowing these areas to be used for reforestation, biodiversity protection and rewilding, all of which would allow nature to regenerate and absorb more CO2,” affirms ProVeg.

Cultured meat was at the center of roundtable discussions at the recent UN Climate Change Conference, held in Dubai, UAE, with world leaders attending a series of dialogues on “complementary” proteins to help feed a growing global population.

Accelerated commercial interest in cell-based foods hasn’t come without friction, however. Last November, in a bid to “safeguard” its nation’s traditionally farmed food heritage, the Italian Parliament voted to ban cultured meat from being produced or sold in the country. Breaching the law could lead to fines of up to €60,000 (approximately US$66,000).

Edited by Benjamin Ferrer