This week, Dutch cell-based meat pioneer Mosa Meat held ‘Europe’s first’ tasting of cultivated beef.

Participants were invited to try the company’s Mosa Burger, marking the first time cultured beef had been tasted in Europe after a ‘code of practice’ was introduced in the Netherlands last year. The code of practice made tastings of cultivated foods under controlled conditions possible before receiving EU-wide approval for sales.

Participants at the event included Dutch cattle farmers, food product developers and industry representatives who shared their tasting feedback with Mosa Meat.

The goals for these tastings include assessing market readiness of products and collecting feedback from culinary experts for product development purposes.

Mosa Meat CEO, Maarten Bosch, said: "We are delighted to finally share our burgers with experts outside of the company, so they can help us create the best burgers possible. In this first tasting we specifically evaluated the potential of cultivated beef fat as an ingredient in a blend with plant-based ingredients, as we know it is responsible for the flavour, aromas, mouthfeel and even sizzle people love from beef.”

He continued: “We’ve been able to conclude that our cultivated fat has a very positive impact on the product quality This means that in addition to the cultivated beef for which we have submitted a regulatory approval request in Singapore, we can also elevate the culinary experience of plant-based products and delight more beef lovers faster.”

One participant at the private tasting stated: “The burger really tasted like meat. Usually I don't eat meat, but I miss the taste of meat a lot and this is the way to ultimately add it back to my diet, I hope.”

Another taster shared: “I thought the burger was delicious. It was juicy, nice and succulent”.

After the Netherlands introduced legislation making pre-approval tastings of cultured meat legal last year, Mosa Meat is the second company to hold such an event. In April, Dutch food-tech firm Meatable held a tasting of its hybrid pork product in the Netherlands.

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