The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has turned its attention to cell-based foods (also known as “cultivated foods,” “lab-grown foods,” or “cultured foods”), with three new documents discussing food safety aspects of the novel commodity: the terminologies, the generic production process, and existing regulatory frameworks.

FAO conducted a literature review of relevant, existing regulatory frameworks to provide a basis for national authorities to develop their own regulatory frameworks and food safety controls for cell-based products. As of the date of the report’s publication in 2022, only one country—Singapore—has a cell-based food product on the market. However, a limited number of nations have specifically addressed cell-based foods in food safety regulations or guidelines, and, in most countries, cell-based foods can be assessed within existing novel food regulations.

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As of the date of the report’s publication, when labeling cultured meat products, no regulations exist worldwide for the designation of the modifier term “cultured,” however, there are restrictions in many countries for the use of the word “meat.” For example, Germany and France do not allow the use of terms related to conventional meat or meat products when they are cell-based, while Singapore has allowed conventional meat terms to be used in conjunction with qualifying modifiers. The topic is still being debated in the U.S. and other nations.

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