Mosa Meat, the Dutch startup pioneering the production of cultured meat, announced that it has submitted its first application for approval of a novel food for the European market. The company has submitted a dossier to the European Commission for approval of its cultured beef fat, marking the first such application in the European Union.
This choice was influenced by the European regulatory structure, which evaluates each new ingredient individually. Cultured fat is critical in providing the typical flavor, aroma and texture of high-quality beef, thus representing a natural initial step in introducing cultured meat to consumers.
This move follows an earlier initiative by French startup Gourmey, which made a similar claim for its cultured duck foie gras in July 2024. Gourmey aims to offer a sustainable alternative to traditional foie gras, a product often criticized for force-feeding practices to animals.
To meet strict European food safety standards, Mosa Meat prepared a dossier of nearly 1,000 pages, including the analysis of 450 samples and the review of 652 analytical documents. The compilation of the dossier required the collaboration of six accredited laboratories, the development of 23 new analytical methods and the analysis of 148 parameters for each batch. More than 10 Mosa Meat employees worked full-time on this project for nearly two years, taking seven consecutive days just to upload all documents to the European Commission portal. This commitment reflects the importance of thorough preparation to successfully navigate the complex European approval process,
The authorization process for novel foods in the European Union is known to be rigorous. Once an application is submitted, the European Commission conducts a validity check of the dossier. Next, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) conducts a thorough risk assessment, which can take up to nine months. During this period, EFSA may request additional information, thus extending the evaluation time. Once the evaluation is complete, the Commission has seven months to consult the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed and make a final decision on the authorization of the novel food.
Mosa Meat has raised more than 120 million euros from prominent investors, including Sergey Brin, Chris Sacca, and Leonardo DiCaprio. In addition, the company has secured funding from government agencies in the Netherlands and the European Commission itself, as cultured meat is seen as a potential tool for achieving the Union’s environmental policies.
