Cell-based meat company Vow is closer to receiving novel foods approval to produce and sell a cell-based quail product in Australia and New Zealand.

Alt-protein think tank Food Frontier made the announcement last week, stating that earlier this year, Vow Food applied to Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) to evaluate its cultured quail as a food ingredient. Now, after months of safety investigations, the standards setter has concluded that it is safe to eat.

FSANZ has shared its findings as part of its public consultation process, providing the public with an opportunity to give feedback on Vow’s cell-based quail product.

Food Frontier’s executive director Simon Eassom said: “FSANZ is undertaking a comprehensive scientific evaluation to ensure foods made using Vow’s cultured quail as a food ingredient are safe. This is an exciting step, particularly because, as reinforced currently at COP28, innovative food technologies are going to become essential means of meeting the growing demand for meat without adding further to ecological and environmental degradation.”

He continued: “Once cultivated meat technology advances to a scale that is required for commercial viability, it promises to be a viable way to help meet the increasing global demand for meat. Public confidence around the introduction of novel food categories is always a vital step in gaining acceptance. The ultimate success of Vow’s application will pave the way for Australia and New Zealand to take a lead in this exciting new era of food production.”

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