Cultivated Fat from Mosa Meat to Be Sold for Blended Meat Mixture in European Markets, Replacing Beef Tallow

Mosa Meat, a pioneering Dutch company in the field of cultivated meat, has announced its intention to submit approval applications for its cultivated beef fat in the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom. This move comes as the second application for cultivated meat from the EU Commission and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), following French startup Gourmey's application in July.

The company's innovative product is designed to bridge the gap between plant-based products and the authentic taste of beef. Mosa Meat achieves this by taking a small sample of cells from a cow, nurturing the fatty potential of these cells, and harvesting the final product for use in dishes that use a beef mince.

The EU has a stringent novel food framework, considered the "global gold standard for food safety." If successful, Mosa Meat would be able to sell the ingredient in all 27 member states and the three EEA countries.

The approval process for the application will be handled by the EU Commission and the EFSA. The EU Commission has been batting away arguments to justify a cultivated meat ban, indicating potential regulatory progress.

Mosa Meat's co-founder, Dr Mark Post, unveiled a cultivated meat burger in 2013 at a cost of $330,000. However, the company has since managed to significantly reduce costs. In 2020, Mosa Meat cut the price of its growth medium by 80-fold, and a year later, reduced the cost of its fat medium by 66 times.

The company's cultivated beef fat is intended to be mixed with plant-based ingredients for use in blended meat products like hamburgers, meatballs, empanadas, or bolognese. Mosa Meat's innovations have impressed taste testers and chefs, including Hans van Wolde, owner of the two-Michelin-starred eatery Brut 172, who joined its product development team in 2023.

Mosa Meat has also been in discussions with several plant-based product producers about potential collaborations. If approved, cultivated beef can cut emissions by 93%, use 95% less land, and consume 78% less water than conventional protein, making it an attractive alternative for the food industry.

The company has opened the world's largest cultivated meat facility in Maastricht, with a 1,000-litre bioreactor scale. Mosa Meat has also raised €40M ($42.4M) in a funding round in April 2023, taking total investment in the company to over $135M.

Looking to the future, Mosa Meat is considering exploring creative culinary applications for its cultivated fat, potentially tapping into the consumer market for tallow. With its focus on taste, sustainability, and innovation, Mosa Meat continues to push the boundaries of the food industry.

A survey of 16,000 citizens from 15 EU countries in 2024 found that Europeans are largely in favor of cultivated meat if it passes safety assessments from food regulators, and a majority are willing to try it. As regulatory progress continues and costs continue to drop, the future of cultivated meat in Europe looks promising.