Cultured meat and cultured seafood – state of play and future prospects in the EU

In 2020, cultured meat and cultured seafood knew a boost in interest outside Europe, with the first authorisation for marketing cultivated meat products in Singapore and a large increase in investment. In Europe, this sector is starting to attract investments as well (the EU invested through REACT-EU in lab-grown meat[[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/beef-culture-grown-eu-lab-sustainable-b1942580.html.]]). At present, cell-based food products are not marketed in the EU. Such products require a pre-market authorisation before they can be placed on the EU market and, depending on the techniques used, this authorisation may need to be via either the GMO legislation or the novel food regulation. Once an application for the authorisation of these products is submitted to the Commission, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) will carry out the safety evaluation of these products, including whether they are nutritionally disadvantageous.

Few studies have been developed to understand the impact of the cultured meat cycle (production, consumption, waste) on the environment, and its link to social and cultural aspects. Rough estimates based on a life cycle assessment suggest lower GHG emissions, land requirements and water use compared to conventional meat. Conclusions on energy use depend on the methodology used and assumptions made. Cultured meat and cultured seafood also face social and cultural challenges.

Proposals are expected to address the following:

• Study the social aspects related to cultured meat and cultured seafood (potential benefits and risks): including the consumers’ perception on cultured meat and cultured seafood, animal welfare, religious and ethical aspects, health aspects (for example impacts on obesity or NCDs, nutrition aspects) beyond safety risks eventually assessed by EFSA, etc.
• Study the economic aspects (potential benefits and risks): including how to reduce the high infrastructure costs and high-cost raw materials, as well as scaling up in a cost-effective way (including through reaching out to start-ups in this field to understand the difficulties and potential); and the “cost of inaction” (economic impact of not having such investments in the EU and Associated Countries).
• Study the environmental aspects (potential benefits and risks) considering the entire life cycle by using the Environmental Footprint methods, including elements on carbon footprint, pollution, impacts on biodiversity, resource use, and considerations on how the released land from livestock production could be utilised within the bioeconomy system, etc. and develop a comparison of the overall environmental impact of cultured meat/seafood vs. conventional meat/seafood. Particular attention should be given to the assessment of the energy intensiveness of cultured meat and cultured seafood production. Livestock co-products, such as leather, pet food, cosmetics, fertilisers, other chemicals, etc., should also be considered, as well as food waste and packaging issues.
• Study technical problems relating to the production of cultured meat and cultured seafood and identify possible solutions that could improve the economic viability, circularity and overall sustainability.
• Identify new sources of ingredients for the cultured meat and cultured seafood to increase the sustainability aspects of the products (including the nutritional value).
• Identify, explore and study scenarios of market penetration and consumer acceptance of cultured meat and cultured seafood and conduct LCA analysis to assess the environmental and sustainability impact/benefits each scenario would result in (considering issues such as the availability of energy for different levels of uptake of this technology).
• Explore the current and possible future impacts for the farmers (including aqua-farmers) and industry, including economic viability, challenges and opportunities for the farming sectors, etc.
• Proposals should involve a multi-disciplinary consortium of independent researchers that should organize conferences and meetings gathering a wide range of food system actors. International cooperation is strongly encouraged. Where relevant, activities should build and expand on the results of past and ongoing research projects (e.g. Meat4all, CCMeat). The proposals should also consider projects selected under HORIZON-CL6-2021-FARM2FORK-01-12 and HORIZON-CL6-2022-FARM2FORK-01-07. The project should have a clear plan as to how it will collaborate with any other relevant project funded under other relevant topics. They should participate in joint activities, workshops, focus groups or social labs, and common communication and dissemination activities, and show potential for upscaling. Applicants should plan the necessary budget to cover these activities.

This topic should involve the effective contribution of SSH disciplines.