There are two ways to replace animal meat as food. On the one hand, you can prepare plant-based alternatives in such a way that the taste and consistency are similar to meat. On the other hand, you can cultivate meat in the laboratory, i.e. let animal cells grow there artificially. The Dutch government has now announced that it will allow meat and seafood products cultivated from animal cells to be tasted under certain conditions.
Following in the footsteps of the US and Singapore, the Netherlands is now the first country in Europe to allow lab meat tastings, which has been particularly welcomed by leading Dutch startups in the field.
Step towards mass suitability of laboratory meat
Cell cultivation in agriculture is unlikely to have a major impact on the food industry for many years to come. But over time, this breakthrough technology of growing meat in the lab may become part of a much-needed solution to transforming food systems when it comes to reducing consumption of real animal meat.
The Netherlands is the first European country to allow pre-approved tastings of cultured meat. The government, in collaboration with startups Meatable and Mosa Meat and sector representative HollandBIO, has established a “code of conduct”. This step is celebrated as a milestone and is intended to secure the Netherlands’ pioneering position in this area. The companies Mosa Meat and Meatable plan to present their products at these tastings and collect valuable feedback. The Netherlands has already committed €60 million to build a “cellular farming ecosystem” and created the organization Cellular Agriculture Netherlands, which will be in charge of overseeing the code of practice.
The US and Singapore have already taken similar steps, approving the sale of cultured meat. Meatable has even opened a base in Singapore and plans to invest over 60 million euros and hire more than 50 employees over the next five years. Mosa Meat recently opened a new production facility in the Netherlands. Laboratory meat is seen as central to fighting climate change and halting the killing of billions of animals every year.
There is no shortage of cultured meat startups around the world, including in Europe. One of the keys to their success, aside from food safety and energy efficiency, is taste. In order for omnivores to choose lab meat over butchered meat, it must impress in terms of flavor and texture.
So far, however, scientists in Europe have had to overcome an enormous hurdle – they really have not been able to have their products tested, i.e. tested on the market. Therefore, the move by the Dutch government to allow tastings under certain conditions is crucial to moving the burgeoning industry forward.
Make products better through feedback
“This is great news for the Netherlands. We know that cultured meat can make a significant contribution to reducing climate impact. By allowing cultured meats to be tasted, the Netherlands maintains its pioneering role in Europe and beyond. For Meatable this means that we can give consumers the opportunity to taste and experience our products and that we can make our products even better through their feedback,” says Krijn de Nood, CEO of Meatable. “Our goal is to make tasty cultured meat, indistinguishable from regular meat, available to everyone without harming people, animals or our planet. This development brings us closer to this goal. We thank the ministries for the constructive cooperation and look forward to inviting the first people to try our sausages, dumplings and pulled pork!”
“Mosa Meat will use these controlled tastings to gather valuable feedback on our products and to educate key stakeholders on the role cellular agriculture can play in achieving our food sovereignty and sustainability goals in Europe,” said Maarten Bosch , CEO of Mosa Meat.
The approval of laboratory meat in the USA had already been hailed as a milestone for future meat production. It is the second country after Singapore to allow the sale of cultured meat. Europe, on the other hand, hasn’t jumped on the bandwagon yet, and now the Netherlands is taking the first step. UPSIDE Foods and GOOD Meat have received US Department of Agriculture approval and American consumers will soon be able to purchase cultured meat. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had previously confirmed the safety of the products.
USA approve laboratory meat ahead of Europe