Japan has announced plans to assess the safety of cultivated meats following the rising demand to find sustainably produced meat.
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The Japanese government has announced its plan to investigate the safety of cultivated meat.
Japan’s Health, Labour, and Welfare Ministry will lead the research team focusing on the health risk of lab-grown meat. The team’s research will help the government formulate a framework for how the country can implement and regulate the growing industry.
A number of food tech organisations have already successfully produced traditional animal products using the cells of animals.
Japanese start-up Intergriculture announced in April that it had cultivated chicken and duck liver cells. While Mitsubishi announced it was partnering with Israeli Food Tech company Aleph Farms in 2021. The brands revealed that their focus was to bring cell-based meat to Japan.
Lab meat is growing around the globe. In 2020, Singapore became the first country to offer cultivated meat to the public.
US company Eat Just passed a safety review by the Singapore Food Agency and was able to sell its ‘chicken bites’ in the country.
Additionally, research is happening around the world to safely develop lab meat to sustainably meet the rising demand for animal products.
What is cultivated meat?
Cultivated meat is cell-based meat that is produced in a lab.
Cells from animals are taken and developed into traditionally animal products like steak and chicken.
What’s more, this process eliminates the need to raise animals for slaughter saving billions of animals.
Additionally, this will reduce land and water resource which is currently an urgent issue in animal agriculture.
While many question the realities of lab meat, it has the potential to end intensive animal farming and fight back against climate change.
From lab meat to 3D printed meat. Go behind the scenes at 3D-printed vegan steak producer Redefine Meat
Feature image credit: Aleph Farm
Source: Green Queen
