Cultured meat won’t reach Swiss plates until 2023, provided Aleph Farms’ application for approval from the Swiss health authorities is accepted. This is the Israeli manufacturer’s first attempt to enter and expand in Europe.
Aleph Farms’ Application for Cultured Beef Patties
The company, which counts American actor Leonardo DiCaprio among its investors, has submitted an application to the Swiss Federal Office for Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs (FVOV) to market its first cultured beef patties, it said in a press release on Wednesday. The startup, based in Rehovot on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, has already submitted applications for approval in Israel, the US, and Singapore, but Switzerland is the first country in Europe where it is taking action, its spokesperson told AFP. In Switzerland, Aleph Farms has teamed up with supermarket chain Migros – the largest retailer in the Alpine country – which bought a stake in the company in 2019 to explore the potential of this new technology.
The Rise of Cultured Meat Start-ups
Several start-ups have jumped on the cultured meat bandwagon, which aims to produce animal proteins with less environmental impact than intensive livestock farming. Dutch company Mosa Meat was the first to present the public with an in vitro minced steak made from stem cells from cows in 2013.
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Challenges in Cultured Meat Production and Approval
At present, however, the production costs are still very high. How long it will take to process Aleph Farms’ application “cannot be estimated at this point, the Swiss authorities tell AFP, “but it will certainly take several months”, they admit. The procedure for approving new types of food generally takes longer because they need to be tested for safety, the Osav website explains.
Potential Market and Consumer Acceptance of Cultured Meat
If the Aleph Farms product is approved, it will probably initially only be available “in high-end restaurants”, explains Tristan Cerf, spokesperson for Migros supermarkets. It will be several years before the product is sold in supermarkets”. In his opinion, it is unlikely that we will see farmed meat on the shelves before 2030.
According to a survey conducted jointly by Aleph Farms and Migros, “74% of Swiss consumers are open to the idea of trying cultured meat”, the Israeli startup writes in the press release, both out of curiosity and interest in sustainability and animal welfare issues, it adds. The startup is initially aiming for a price equivalent to “ultra-premium” beef, the spokesperson explains, although the goal is to achieve prices on par with more conventional meat in the coming years.
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International Developments in Cultured Meat
In June, the US Department of Agriculture inspected and approved the safety systems in the infrastructure of two start-ups, Upside Foods and Good Meat, becoming the second country after Singapore to pave the way for artificial meat.
Aleph Farms’ Space Experiment
Aleph Farms made its name with an experiment in space aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The startup provided cells for the experiment. The space experiments were used to design tissue from beef, rabbits, and fish using a 3D printer.
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References
Aleph Farms. (2023). “Aleph Farms Submits Application to Swiss Regulators, Marking the First-ever Submission for Cultivated Meat in Europe.” Aleph Farms. Retrieved August 7, 2023, from https://aleph-farms.com/journals/aleph-farms-submits-application-to-swiss-regulators-marking-the-first-ever-submission-for-cultivated-meat-in-europe/
