On April 5, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), issued a joint global report to engage with respective Members and relevant stakeholders by proactively sharing the current knowledge to identify concrete ways to inform consumers and all other stakeholders about the food safety considerations for cell-based food products. Cell-based food production, which is the field of growing animal agricultural products directly from cell cultures, has been explored as a sustainable alternative to the conventional livestock agricultural system.

In consultation with experts in the field, FAO and WHO identified potential hazards in the four stages of the cell-based food production, namely:

1) cell-sourcing;

2) cell growth and production;

3) cell harvesting; and

4) food processing.

Experts agreed that while many hazards are already well known and exist equally as well in conventionally produced food, the focus may need to be put on the specific materials, inputs, ingredients (including potential allergens), and equipment that are unique to cell-based food production.

The report emphasizes the need for more data generation and sharing on a global scale, providing that the path forward includes investing in research and development in order to understand whether the alleged benefits of increased sustainability can be realized. In this regard, it will be important to closely observe to what extent cell-based foods result in differences from conventionally produced foods.

Lastly, FAO and WHO acknowledged that the potential risk of a negative public opinion about cell-cultured meat is already a cause for concern for the industry, explaining that “implementation of vigilant hazard/risk assessments, control measures, transparency, and effective risk communication are important strategies for mitigating these risks.” The report recommends industry focus groups and actively reaching out to consumers to the public’s questions and concerns regarding this new food space.

Keller and Heckman will continue to report on the evolvements in the cell-based food industry.