News
Cultivated meat firms permitted to apply for tasting sessions by Dutch Government
This news follows an announcement by the newly formed independent expert committee, formed by the Dutch Government, which will evaluate cultivated meat tastings.
The committee, which includes a toxicologist, microbiologist, physician and an ethical expert, will analyse the requests submitted by firms hoping to conduct controlled tasting sessions. No approved cultivated meat or seafood tastings have yet taken place in Europe.
The Netherlands launched a code of practice last year that permitted controlled tastings to take place, making it the first EU country to issue this pre-approval. Cultivated meat is only currently legal for sale in Singapore and the USA.
In order to make a request, companies will need to hand in a dossier detailing information about their product and containing the necessary safety documents. The committee will review each dossier before providing feedback and eventually being able to approve the application.
Once an approval has been granted, the respective company is required to hold a tasting session in a controlled environment, which is suitable for food preparation and inaccessible to the general public.
‘Important step towards approval of cultivated meat’
Dutch cultivated meat and seafood manufacturers Meatable, Mosa Meat and Upstream Foods all welcomed the announcement and expressed their excitement about soon hosting a tasting session.
“This is another important step forward in approving cultivated meat,” said Meatable CEO Krijn de Nood.
“We’re delighted that we have already handed in our dossier for approval and look forward to holding our first tastings in the Netherlands soon.”
Meanwhile, Maarten Bosch, CEO of Mosa Meat, hailed the actions of the Dutch Government, describing the Netherlands as a “global leader in sustainable food innovation”.
“Mosa Meat will be applying soon to host the first legal tastings of our cultivated beef,” Bosch added.
Finally, Kianti Figler, CEO of Upstream Foods, commented: “We are dedicated to revolutionizing seafood alternatives through fish fat cultivation, and this initiative empowers us to showcase our innovative approach. We thank the Dutch Government, CANS, and HollandBIO for their collaborative efforts in making this possible."
In other news, Heather Mills has purchased the assets of vegan food manufacturer VBites from administrators.
