Lab grown meat, dairy, and egg products issue reaches India’s apex food regulator
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: The debate on laboratory-grown meat, dairy, and egg products may soon be settled, with the issue reaching India’s apex food regulator, three people aware of the development said. The development comes in the backdrop of concerns about public health, food security and ecological sustainability.
While the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has put in place a regulatory framework for plant-based protein products, manufacturers and sellers of fermentation-derived and cultivated protein products have been operating in a regulatory void. A representation has been made by former Union minister Maneka Gandhi’s People for Animals-Public Policy Foundation (PAPPF) to FSSAI for framing regulations, according to a 13 November communication to FSSAI reviewed by Mint. “We have asked FSSAI to make standards," Gandhi said in an emailed response to Mint's queries.
“We have received presentation on cellular meat from them," an FSSAI official confirmed, requesting anonymity. Any decision by the food regulator would help decide the trajectory of fermentation-derived and cultivated meat, dairy, and egg products in the country. The development assumes significance given that India is home to more than 15 companies focused on cultivated meat and fermentation-derived smart protein products, with several Indian start-ups planning to take these products to the market and planning to apply for regulatory approvals.
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