COALITION OF THE SINISTER: Ministers against cultivated meat debate at EU Council
The note submitted by the sinister coalition cites a non-peer-reviewed study by UC Davis from last year, which claimed that cultivated meat would not be better for the environment than beef. According to the Good Food Institute Europe, the paper is based on 'incorrect assumptions' on the production of cultivated meat, the findings of which significantly differ from the existing scientific literature.
VEGCONOMIST: At an EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting, ministers gathered to discuss cultivated meat and its potential to benefit or threaten people and the environment. A coalition of 13 agricultural ministers, rather than 12 as initially reported by Euronews, led by Austria, France, and Italy, had sent a note to the EU council urging a revision of the regulatory approval framework for cultivated meat.
Supported by Czech, Cypriot, Greek, Hungarian, Luxembourg, Lithuanian, Maltese, Romanian, Slovak, and Spanish delegations, they raised concerns about the potential threat of cultivated meat to the economy, public health, and farmers while questioning its “naturalness” (fake meat) and sustainability.
The note submitted by the coalition cites a non-peer-reviewed study by UC Davis from last year, which claimed that cultivated meat would not be better for the environment than beef.
According to the Good Food Institute Europe, UC David’s paper is based on “incorrect assumptions” on the production of cultivated meat, the findings of which significantly differ from the existing scientific literature.
Moreover, the UC Davis report argues that the cultivated meat industry relies on fetal bovine serum (FBS) and cannot guarantee the animal welfare standards it promises. However, according to the think tank, these assumptions on animal welfare are outdated because “FBS cannot be used for producing cultivated meat at scale as it is too expensive, batches are inconsistent, and global supplies are limited”…
Alex Holst, senior policy manager at the Good Food Institute (GFI) Europe, also commented: “This non-binding statement spreads misinformation about cultivated meat and undermines Europe’s world-leading regulatory system.
“Overhauling the gold standard Novel Foods regulatory process now is completely unnecessary, and risks preventing the EU from taking a leading role in this sector – just as the United States and China invest in cultivated meat to boost their economies and create future-proof jobs”. SOURCE…
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