Aleph Farms Seeks Regulatory Approval to Sell Cultivated Meat in Europe

Thursday - August 3 2023, 19:06 UTC - 1 year ago

Israel’s Aleph Farms has applied for regulatory approval to sell cultivated meat in Europe, primarily Switzerland. The company has collaborated with Switzerland’s Migros and is looking to roll out cultured meat in Singapore by 2025. Consumers seem interested in cultivated meat for its sustainability and promotion of animal welfare. Aleph Farms produces meat by acquiring and banking stem cells from an animal and then cultivating them in a temperature-controlled vessel. The switch to plant-based diets is increasing across developed economies and could help reduce carbon footprints and promote health.

Israel’s Aleph Farms has applied for regulatory approval to sell cultivated meat in Europe, specifically in Switzerland, a country outside the European Union. Aleph Farms announced its submission to the Swiss Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) and, if approved, would be the first company to sell artificially produced beef meat in the continent. According to a spokesperson, the review and approval process taken by Swiss regulatory bodies is typically around 12-24 months .

The company posted about the same on X. Cultivated meat in the global market by 2025 Interesting Engineering had earlier reported that the Israeli firm is inching closer to commercializing cultivated meat by 2024. In March, They announced their plans to roll out cultured meat in Singaporean markets by 2025, the only country in the world where consumers can eat lab-grown meat. Aleph has collaborated with Switzerland’s Migros, which is the country’s largest retail company and biggest supermarket chain .

Migros is also an investor in Aleph Farms. Both companies have conducted extensive consumer research in Switzerland, finding that 74% of consumers are willing to try cultivated meat in their meals. They also found that the key motivation driving them is that grown meat is sustainable and promotes animal welfare, per a press release. "Food systems affect everyone, and it will take a coordinated effort between regulators, innovators, and incumbents to ensure food security in a way that helps humanity live within its planetary boundaries," said Didier Toubia, Co-Founder and CEO of Aleph Farms .

Good for the environment Aleph Farms produces meat by acquiring and banking stem cells from an animal and then cultivating them in a temperature-controlled vessel to turn them into meat. According to the Institute of the Future in Palo Alto, cell-based meat is the future and could be a common sight in supermarkets across the West in the next three years. This is good news for companies like Aleph Farms as more and more people are switching to vegetarianism .

Over the years, vegetarianism has increased across the United States and European nations, and several other developed economies worldwide, according to the World Economic Forum. Switching to a plant-based or non-meat diet can profoundly affect carbon footprint and health in general.