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BookletCell-based food and precision fermentation – Products, safety and the future role
Stakeholder roundtable meeting report, Shanghai, China, 6 November 2023
2024Also available in:
No results found.As the global demand for proteins and specific nutrients grows, many people are looking into opportunities to expand the scope of diverse and sustainable sources of such nutrients. Food safety is one of the prominent key issues to ascertain before such products go into the market, and various competent authorities are working to identify and address potential food safety issues and their implications. After the first stakeholder meeting on cell-based food organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with the Government of Israel, many experts suggested that FAO maintain such dialogues to regularly update the knowledge of this fast-improving technology. This led to the stakeholder meeting organized by FAO jointly with the Government of China in November 2023, which considered precision fermentation besides cell-based food. The present report summarized the results of the meeting attended by a total of 55 participants in Shanghai, China on 6 November 2023. The meeting provided a snapshot of the state of development of these particular technologies and the industry in 2023. As an increasing number of countries are reviewing the regulatory applications, valid examples of how to assess product safety have become available. All participants recognized that open discussions between stakeholders and regulators are key when it comes to clarifying important aspects of food safety, and that supporting the relevant scientific innovations is vital for achieving the overall food security goals and sustainable food production for the future. -
BookletFood safety aspects of cell-based food
Report of the publication launch webinar, 7 April 2023
2024Also available in:
No results found.The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) held a webinar to launch the publication entitled “Food safety aspects of cell-based food” published in April 2023. The webinar was attended by a total of 1 015 participants from more than 75 countries.Cell-based food production involves culturing animal cells in a controlled environment to produce various types of food products. As this technology is constantly evolving, it is important for food safety authorities to keep up with science in order to understand how the products are developed and what food safety considerations are relevant when taking regulatory actions. The webinar included a lecture on the subject by the chairperson of the FAO-led expert consultation, who introduced the contents of the FAO/WHO publication and presented the results of the first global food safety hazard identification of cell-based food. Experts reported that most of the hazards identified were common to conventional food products and emphasized the importance for food safety competent authorities to focus on the materials, inputs and equipment specific to cell-based food production.Two regulatory experts from the governments of Singapore and Qatar took part in the webinar to introduce the case studies of their respective countries’ regulatory frameworks. These case studies illustrated the commonly held idea that a food safety assessment is one of the first steps within the regulatory frameworks presented in the case studies, despite the fact that other elements within the framework may be different. This was borne out by subsequent panel discussions with six panellists from Argentina, Australia, Qatar, Singapore, the United States of America and Zambia who all concurred that a food safety assessment provides a crucial starting point. All panellists emphasized the importance of the FAO/WHO publication as an invaluable source of technical information in this regard, particularly as it lists potential hazards that regulators can draw on. The publication also contains vital information on nomenclature and useful advice on ways to effectively communicate this topic to the public.The webinar included an interactive discussion session with the participants, during which basic food safety and regulatory questions were raised. FAO and WHO concluded the webinar with the offer to provide technical assistance to those countries in need of it. -
Book (stand-alone)Food safety aspects of cell-based food 2023
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No results found.Cell-based food production, which is the field of growing animal agricultural products directly from cell cultures, has been explored as an alleged sustainable alternative to the conventional livestock agricultural system. As commercial cell-based food production continues to expand, the urgency increases to address one of the most important questions of consumers, the question of food safety. Thus, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), has developed the present document to engage with respective Members and relevant stakeholders by proactively sharing the current knowledge to identify concrete ways to inform consumers and all other stakeholders about the food safety considerations for cell-based food products. This document includes a literature synthesis of relevant terminology issues, principles of cell-based food production processes and the global landscape of regulatory frameworks for cell-based food production. Case studies from Israel, Qatar and Singapore have been included to highlight different scopes, structures and contexts surrounding their regulatory frameworks for cell-based food. The results of the FAO-led Expert Consultation, where comprehensive food safety hazard identification was conducted, form the core of the document and the identified hazards are summarized with causal-chain examples. The way forward will consist of continuing to invest in research and development in order to understand whether the alleged benefits in increased sustainability can be realized. In this regard, it will be important to closely observe as to what extent, if any, cell-based foods result in differences from conventionally produced foods.
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