Icelandic biotech ORF Genetics and Australian cell-based meat company Vow have announced the success of a “first of its kind” tasting in Europe.

The cell-based meat tasting, which took place on 12 February, saw various professionals taste dishes created from the cells of Japanese quail.

Among those attending was the Prime Minister and acting Minister of Food, Fisheries and Agriculture of Iceland, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, who “enjoyed” her first taste of cell-based meat at the event.

Jakobsdóttir said: "It is clear that our food systems need to change so that we can feed a population estimated to reach 9 billion in 2040. It is also evident that we need to use innovation and technology to establish new ways of addressing the climate challenge. This is exactly what we are seeing on the tasting tables here today.”

She continued: “Cultivated meat is one of the solutions to the climate challenge. The Icelandic authorities are determined to pave the way for the adoption of new solutions in Iceland and we are eager to see the development of an EU regulatory framework for cultivated meat."

Berglind Rán Ólafsdóttir, CEO of ORF Genetics, commented: "We are excited to bring this innovative, novel food product for this milestone tasting event here in Iceland, showcasing that not only is cultivated meat a more sustainable alternative to traditional meat – but that it is also a delicious one. ORF's barley-grown growth factors allow cultured meat companies like Vow not only to grow but to rapidly scale-up its production to meet future-market demands."

Co-founder and CEO of Vow, George Peppou, added: "We have a vision of producing meat that is deliberately different – uniquely delicious, nutritious and sustainable, and unlike anything you've tasted before. That is why we are so excited to partner with ORF to announce today that Icelanders will be the first to taste an entirely new food in Europe's first ever official cultured meat tasting."

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