Cultured quail created by Vow Food has been certified as a food ingredient by Food Standards Australia New Zealand, clearing the way for it to be sold to restaurants and consumers.
The company’s cultured quail product was submitted to FSANZ last year as a food ingredient and was approved by the regulator after months of safety studies.
“FSANZ is undertaking a comprehensive scientific evaluation to ensure foods made using Vow’s cultured quail as a food ingredient are safe”, said Food Frontier’s executive director, Dr Simon Eassom
The public consultation will provide feedback on Vow’s cultured quail, as a first example in ANZ from the emerging field of cultivated meat production, through the regulator’s findings.
The US approved the first cultivated meat product in June 2023, after Singapore did so in 2020. In Australia and New Zealand, four companies are working in the cultivated meat ecosystem.
Duplicating the biological process of cell growth means collecting a small sample of an animal’s cells and putting them in a setting that gives them the nutrition and circumstances they need to thrive. The finished result is the same as regular meat at the cellular level.
Dr Eassom said: “This is an exciting step, particularly because, as reinforced currently at COP28, innovative food technologies are going to become essential means of meeting the growing demand for meat without adding further to ecological and environmental degradation.”
He also implied that cultivated meat is part of “alternative protein production and sources” without degrading our current food system and environment.
“Once cultivated meat technology advances to a scale that is required for commercial viability, it promises to be a viable way to help meet the increasing global demand for meat.”
To support food security, nations all around the world – including Singapore, the Netherlands, the US, Israel, and more recently, the UK – have made significant investments in the research and production of cultivated meat.
However, Dr Eassom stated that conventional meat will never be replaced by cultivated meat, but there is a place for both when the population and protein consumption are increasing.
FSANZ has applied the labelling requirements for the product to prevent misunderstandings among consumers.
“Public confidence around the introduction of novel food categories is always a vital step in gaining acceptance”
It is approving a cultivated meat product in ANZ that could prompt investment and innovation in the emerging cellar industry as businesses worldwide look out for ANZ as a developing production base.
“Public confidence around the introduction of novel food categories is always a vital step in gaining acceptance. The ultimate success of Vow’s application will pave the way for Australia and New Zealand to take a lead in this exciting new era of food production.”
- Further reading: Meatable raises $35 million to accelerate launch of cultivated pork
