Dutch cultivated meat and seafood companies Meatable, Mosa Meat, and Upstream Foods are welcoming the news that the Dutch Government has announced its independent Expert Committee to evaluate cultivated meat tastings. The committee, which includes a toxicologist, microbiologist, physician and an ethical expert, will evaluate requests by companies to conduct tastings of cultivated meat and seafood in controlled environments, a significant step forward to enabling tastings in Europe. Now the committee has been announced, the companies can submit their dossiers to request approval to hold tastings, a final hurdle ahead of holding the first approved cultivated meat and seafood tastings in Europe.

“This is another important step forward in approving cultivated meat. The Netherlands has long been the pioneer of cultivated meat which is further cemented by this latest development, and we thank the Dutch Government, Cellular Agriculture Netherlands Foundation (CANS), and HollandBIO for their joint efforts to make this possible. We’re delighted that we have already handed in our dossier for approval and look forward to holding our first tastings in the Netherlands soon. We can’t wait to invite people to try our delicious pork sausages and experience for themselves that it doesn’t just look and taste like meat, it is meat,” said Krijn de Nood, co-founder and CEO at Meatable.

"We are thrilled to see the protocol developed in consultation with the government is now being implemented. Mosa Meat will be applying soon to host the first legal tastings of our cultivated beef. The Netherlands continues to be a global leader in sustainable food innovation, even as others in Europe appear to be taking a step backwards at the height of our climate and biodiversity crises,” said Maarten Bosch, CEO of Mosa Meat. 

Last year, the Netherlands launched a code of practice to make tastings possible in controlled and safe conditions, following an intervention by the Dutch House of Representatives. This made the country the first in the European Union to make pre-approvals of cultivated food tastings possible, even before an EU novel food approval, and one of only a handful that allows tastings globally including Singapore, Israel, and the U.S. 

Tastings enable people to experience the taste and texture of this new product and understand that it looks like, tastes like, and has the same nutritional profile as traditional meat, as well as educate people about the role cultivated meat can play in meeting sustainability goals. 

"At Upstream Foods, we're thrilled about the Netherlands taking the initiative in pre-approved tastings for cultivated food. This is a pivotal moment for the Dutch cultivated meat and seafood ecosystem. We are dedicated to revolutionizing seafood alternatives through fish fat cultivation, and this initiative empowers us to showcase our innovative approach. We thank the Dutch Government, CANS, and HollandBIO for their collaborative efforts in making this possible,” said Kianti Figler, CEO of Upstream Foods. 

Under the Code of Practice, cultivated food companies can hand in their dossiers, including information about their product and necessary safety documents, to apply for approval to hold tastings. The expert committee will investigate the documents and provide feedback. The committee will then approve for tastings to take place or request more information. 

When approvals have been granted, the respective company is required to hold a tasting session in a controlled environment, which is suitable for food preparation and inaccessible to the general public. 

About Meatable
Meatable is an innovative, Dutch food company, aiming to deliver, at scale, the new natural, cultivated meat that looks like, tastes like, and has the nutritional profile of traditional meat. Its proprietary opti-ox technology enables Meatable to produce meat rapidly, sustainably, and without harming animals. Founded in 2018 by Krijn de Nood (CEO), Daan Luining (CTO), and Dr. Mark Kotter (principal inventor of opti-ox technology), Meatable has brought together a team of close to 100 experts with unique knowledge in fields including molecular biology, chemistry, tissue engineering, bioprocess development, food safety, and food science to create the new natural meat. 

About Mosa Meat
Mosa Meat is a global food technology company pioneering a cleaner, kinder way of making real beef. Our founders introduced the world’s first cultivated beef hamburger in 2013, by growing it directly from cow cells. Founded in 2016, Mosa Meat is now scaling up production of the same beef that people love, but in a way that is better for people, animals, and the planet. A diverse team of 150+ food-loving problem-solvers, we are united in our mission to fundamentally reshape the global food system. Headquartered in Maastricht, The Netherlands, Mosa Meat is a privately held company backed by Blue Horizon, Bell Food Group, Nutreco, Mitsubishi Corporation, Leonardo DiCaprio and many others.

About Upstream Foods
Upstream Foods is developing a novel ingredient to uplevel seafood alternatives. Fat is what makes seafood, taste like seafood. The team is using cell-culture methods to make the tastiest fats, which provide the complex flavors, oily mouthfeel, and health benefits that people love about traditional seafood. With its differentiation technology, Upstream Foods can efficiently produce fat cells. Even a small number of cells can significantly enhance the quality of the final seafood product. The company was founded in 2022 in Wageningen, the Netherlands.