Commission convinced on ability to stringently assess risks, safety of lab-grown meat

As a coalition of European Union member states call for public debate on lab-grown meat, the European Commissioner for Food and Health Safety, Stella Kyriakides, responded that current EU rules are solid when it comes to assessing the risk and labelling of cell-based foods.

In a note presented at the agriculture ministers meeting on Tuesday, 23 January, Austria, France and Italy, along with nine other countries (Czech Republic, Cyprus, Greece, Hungary, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Malta, Romania and Slovakia), raised questions on the potential impact of “cell-based food production practices” in ethical, economic, sustainability, transparency, social and legal aspects. 

Responding to the concerns of a majority of member states on the potential impacts of the technology, Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said that the EU is on “very solid ground” regarding risk assessment and labelling.

This thanks to the “demanding pre-market safety and nutritional assessment by independent scientists from the European Food Safety Authority”, she added.

Concerns from member states

Member states asked whether the current regulation on Novel Foods, which includes cell-based foods, is fit to “provide a suitable and comprehensive frame to assess the potential risks associated with these products while taking fully into account the precautionary principle”.

They made clear that it considered products from the new technology “a threat” to traditional agriculture, a stance backed by Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, Poland, and Portugal backed this stance. 

The Netherlands and Denmark, on the other side, were the most explicit in pointing out “the opportunities and not only the threats” of “very innovative solutions” to responding to “food security” challenges in a “fast-growing population” world.

“Lab-grown meat production is currently at a very small scale, and risk and opportunities are difficult to assess”, stressed Germany.  

While currently there is still no request to market lab-grown meat in the EU, the block called for “tak[ing] into account” the “outcomes of the discussions to be held with the Member States and European civil society before taking any market authorisation decisions”.

“Up to the consumers”

“Data on lab-grown meat is scarce and does not allow for meaningful assessments in key areas like emissions, environment or pricing”, Kyiriakides replied.

The document, Kyriakides said, “pinpoints issues that go beyond food safety, issues that we need to be prepared to address together, and by doing so, we’ll be able to deepen our understanding of the potential impact that the lab-grown meat has on health, environment and society”.

“These are legitimate issues that may be part of the decision-making process for novel food authorisations”, she added.

“At the Commission’s request” – she pointed out – “The Authority is now revising its guidance on novel foods, introducing state-of-the-art provisions for the safety and nutritional assessment of lab-grown and cell-based foods”.

On top of that, “the Regulation makes sure that novel foods are clearly designated and labelled so that consumers can make informed choices and clearly identify what they are buying and consuming”.

“Our culinary culture” is “a fundamental part of our European Way of Life” and “that cannot change”, concluded Kyriakides, but “it is up to consumers to decide what they eat”.

[Edited by Alice Taylor]

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