The barriers and drivers of a safe market introduction of cultured meat: A qualitative study

Background
Cultured meat – animal meat produced with the help of tissue engineering techniques – is proposed as a solution to the adverse effects of the meat producing industry and its environmental impact. Only limited research has briefly touched upon safety and regulatory aspects of cultured meat. Scientific evidence demonstrating that a food does not pose a safety risk to human health is essential according to European legislation. Therefore, the present study aims to establish what the barriers and drivers are of a safe market introduction of cultured meat.

Scope and approach
A qualitative, exploratory approach is used with semi-structured in-depth interviews in three groups of stakeholders: regulatory experts, scientific experts and industrial representatives (total N = 15).

Key findings and conclusions
Certain areas of cultured meat research require more attention from researchers to ensure the highest level of safety. Overall, the lack of in-depth research related to hazard and risk characterisation of cultured meat is considered the biggest barrier in introducing a safe product to the market. We call for changing the research emphasis towards a safety-oriented approach to ensure the highest level of safety possible.