Alternative Proteins

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A recent study has demonstrated the food safety concern of microplastics contamination in cell-based seafood.

The French government has issued a decree that would ban the use of “meaty” descriptor terms for plant-based meat alternative products produced in the country, with the aim of tackling misleading food labels.

A recent study has mapped the edible insect supply chain to identify the main points for potential food safety hazards and food fraud, and concluded that, in general, substantial food safety and authenticity gaps need to be addressed before edible insects can be considered safe and sustainable protein sources for Western markets.

The rapid rise of plant-based meat alternatives means that knowledge of the food safety risks of these products is still limited. In particular, microbial growth and inactivation kinetics is not well understood. Additionally, consumers face a learning curve in understanding how to safely handle plant-based meat alternatives. 

The School Lunch Integrity Act of 2024, sponsored by Senators Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Jon Tester (D-MT), would ban cell-cultivated meat from use in school meals.

Key Technology has introduced new optical sorters for processed protein products to remove product defects and foreign material.

The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) is inviting food businesses that are interested in applying for cell-based product authorization to complete a survey that will help the agency fine-tune its regulatory process and better understand the different cell-culture technologies in use by industry.

In Arizona, one recently introduced bill (House Bill 2244) aims to ban lab grown meat, and another (House Bill 2121) would prohibit labeling of meat alternatives and cell-based meat as “meat.”

As of January 1, 2024, food products containing edible insects may only remain on the market in Great Britain if a novel food application for that edible insect species was submitted to the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) on or before December 31, 2023. To help businesses comply with novel food regulations regarding edible insects, FSA published has a guidance.

Concerns around food safety and scalability have surfaced since the successful launch of cultivated meat products in the U.S. This article summarizes recent regulatory developments that provide insight on how the current U.S. regulatory framework addresses food safety within the cultivated meat space.