Cellular Agriculture Pre-approval Tastings in The Netherlands
Cultivated meat and fish qualify as a ‘novel food’. This means that the product must first pass a safety assessment by the European Union (the European Food Safety Authority) before it can be sold in the Union. In order to organize a tasting, a producer can submit a request to CAN, which has put together a committee of experts to evaluate the safety of the products offered.
How are pre-approval tastings made possible in the Netherlands?
Following the motion by De Groot (D66) and Valstar (VVD) (Parliamentary document 27 428, No. 383), which was adopted on 8 March 2022, LNV and VWS entered into discussions with Dutch cultured meat producers and the interest group of biotechnology companies in the Netherlands (HollandBio) to make tastings possible.
These discussions have led to the development of a Code of Practice (CoP). The CoP is in harmony with best practices around novel food and thus offers a technical framework for safely conducting tastings with foodstuffs developed on the basis of animal cell culture. This with the aim of stimulating innovation and product optimisation.
Apply for organising a tasting
If a company has business practices in the Netherlands, it is eligible to organize a tasting. You can apply by sending us an email.
Frequently Asked Questions
What will happen during a tasting?
Dutch producers of cultured meat and fish will be able to let selected participants taste their products under controlled conditions during a tasting. The set-up of a tasting can differ per producer and per moment that a tasting is organised.
Is a tasting safe and how is this guaranteed?
The organising producer of cultured meat or fish is responsible for the safety of the tasting.
Cultured meat and fish qualify as a ‘novel food’. This means that the product must first undergo a safety assessment by the European Union (the European Food Safety Authority) before it may be sold in the Union. The safety assessment for the tastings has not yet been carried out at European level.
In order to organise a tasting, a producer must submit an application to CAN, which has assembled a committee of experts to evaluate the safety of the products offered. The expert committee consists of four experts in toxicology, microbiology, ethics and medicine. After a positive evaluation of an application, a producer can organise tastings.
When are the tastings and with how many people?
Dutch producers of cultured meat and fish can organize up to 10 tastings with a maximum of 30 participants per tasting after a positive application.
Can I register to participate in a tasting?
It is up to the companies to organize tastings and select participants.
What are the conditions for tasting?
A participant in a tasting must be selected in advance, so participation is not open to the general public. All participants must sign an information and consent form in advance. This document explains the regulatory status of the product and which analyses and checks have been carried out to guarantee the safety of the product. Participants will not be compensated for participation and declare by signing a form that they are familiar with this information and that they participate at their own risk and on a voluntary basis.
More information can be found in the Code of Practice.