Consultations between Australia and New Zealand focus on the initial application of cell-cultured meat

Quotes from The National Law Review, December 21, 2023

By: David J. Ettinger , Jenny Xin Li , Eric Gu , Suyan (Sharon) Tian , Chen Hu of Keller and Heckman LLP

An announcement was made by FSANZ on December 11, 2023 ^[1], requesting comments on Vow Group Pty Ltd’s application to permit cultured quail in Australia and New Zealand.

FSANZ has assessed Vow’s application, including various factors such as microbiology, toxicology, and nutrition. They are now seeking public consultation to gather input on hazard assessment and regulatory requirements^[2]. FSANZ pointed out that the current definition of “meat” in the Code does not include cultured quail, so they suggested adding a new definition for cell-cultured foods, including not just quail, but other similar foods.

FSANZ suggests mandating the inclusion of “cell-cultured” on food labels.

References

[1] https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/food-standards-code/applications/A1269-Cultured-Quail-as-a-Novel-Food

[2] https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-12/A1269%201st%20Call%20for%20submissions_0.pdf

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