Advice from BuRO on the public health risks associated with offering cultured meat at tastings

Abstract Cultured meat, produced from animal cells in vitro, is classified as a novel food in the European Union (EU). Market authorisation is only possible after a risk assessment by EFSA and approval by the European Commission and EU Member States. In the Netherlands, however, a procedure has been developed to allow controlled tastings outside this established system. Since 2024, several tastings have taken place. Food safety during these events is assessed by a dedicated expert committee specifically installed for this purpose. The assessments of this committee are not disclosed to the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA). BuRO (the Office for Risk Assessment & Research) examined potential chemical and microbiological risks associated with cultured meat tastings. Hazards were identified based on literature review of production practices. Hazards include contamination with pathogenic microorganisms from source animals, culture media components or structural elements derived from animals or produced through precision fermentation, as well as contamination from equipment, or human handling. Other hazards include possible genetic instability of cells leading to toxic or allergenic proteins. Chemical hazards include residues in biopsy tissue (e.g. veterinary drugs, environmental contaminants), bioactive molecules from the culture medium, by‐products of structural components, cryoprotectants, and contaminants from contact materials such as heavy metals, microplastics, and cleaning agents. While many chemical hazards are relevant only with chronic exposure, short‐term intake of cultured meat at tastings could lead to both acute and non‐acute effects, including microbiological infection. No data are available on the actual presence of pathogens or chemical contaminants in cultured meat offered at Dutch tastings. Furthermore, BuRO has no access to safety dossiers and confidential applications. Therefore, it cannot assess the health risks for participants in cultured meat tastings, and potential risks associated with cultured meat consumption at Dutch tastings cannot be excluded. Internationally, it is common practice that risk assessments and/or evaluations for the market authorisation of novel foods in the EU, Singapore, and the United States are carried out by food safety authorities. In addition, Singapore permits tastings under strict conditions: producers must submit a risk assessment demonstrating that acute consumption is safe. The US does not allow commercial tastings, although research tastings with limited participants are possible; in these cases producers bear responsibility for safety. Due to the absence of transparency in the current procedure established in the Netherlands for cultured meat tastings, it is unknown whether the potential food safety risks are adequately addressed and assessed in a sound and reproducible manner. It is considered undesirable that the NVWA has no insight into safety assessments of products under its supervision. BuRO advises that NVWA should have access to safety assessments of tastings, and that tastings of novel foods should be embedded in existing food safety assessment systems, ensuring transparency, reproducibility, and effective supervision.