Lab-grown “foie gras”: dissecting the first application to produce lab-grown products in the EU

It was an open secret in Brussels that a request for authorisation was imminent. The question was not when, but rather by whom and for what product. To everyone’s surprise, it was a French start-up, Gourmey, that decided to take the first shot. The Paris-based company specialising in lab-grown food, has applied for pre-market approval for its lab-grown product mimicking foie gras and has submitted five applications for its lab-grown products imitating duck meat to food safety authorities in the EU, Switzerland, the UK, Singapore and the US.

To be marketed in the EU, lab-grown protein products must be approved by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The Novel Food Regulation governs approval, and the assessment process involves a thorough review of the safety and nutritional value of the product over a minimum of 18 months. Once approved by the Commission and Member States, the product can be marketed in all 27 EU countries.

Gourmey’s application comes almost a year after Aleph Farms applied to Swiss and UK regulators to sell its lab-grown product mimicking beef. Following safety assessments, two lab-grown products mimicking chicken were approved for sale in the US in 2023, while UK regulators just approved lab-grown products for pet food. This already contradicts part of the narrative put forward that these products would not be found on the market soon! A sector which is not at all shy when it comes to advancing its agenda.

Safety and Environmental Impacts Doubts

According to a press release from the company, the flagship product will be a “new choice for foie gras lovers“. Nicolas Morin-Forest, CEO of Gourmey, is reported to have said that they are witnessing exciting commercial traction for their first product in many regions where chefs want to continue to serve high-quality foie gras and they look forward to working with the regulatory authorities to ensure compliance with safety requirements, expressing confidence that products will meet the “high standards” set by EU authorities.

Aside from the incredible politicisation around lab-grown ‘meats’ in Europe, it is important to recall that the health impact of lab-grown products is still questioned, and some countries are banning its sale or applying the precautionary principle. In their first report (of four in total) published in 2023, the FAO and WHO listed 53 potential health risks, some of which are serious, such as the proliferation of cancer cells and interference with the human endocrine system.  

Regarding the environmental impact, existing studies have rapidly re-evalueted the real impact of these kind of food production since the first theoretical calculations in 2012, showing that the impact of lab-grown products could be greater than that of traditional livestock farming because the bioreactors in which the cells are grown are energy-intensive. Gourmey matures stem cells in bioreactors with specific nutrients at a set temperature to produce the synthetic foie gras, and according to media reporting, the company has raised €48 million to create a 4,300 square metre innovation and manufacturing hub in order to fulfill orders at scale. What impacts will that have on the environment?

Gourmey say they have conducted an external study of the company’s environmental impact in large-scale production and claim it would be significantly lower than that of conventional foie gras. A highly questionable statement, given the significant proportion of extensive farming practices involved in conventional production.

Foie Gras key to opening Pandora’s Box

Rarely have the media in Brussels questioned the strategy behind why a French start-up specialising in a niche product – foie gras – was the first to apply for authorisation. Yet there is a lot to be said and written on the subject because, let’s not be fooled, this first application will open the door to many others, for bigger players and bigger product markets.

Foie gras is a culinary speciality consumed in a limited number of European countries, and is subject to some criticism so it’s kind of the easy way in. And asking for authorisation in July, during the typically quiet summer period, guarantees a limited outcry.

But there is an even more fundamental reason behind applying for an authorisation for ‘foie gras’ to start with. It guarantees to all players that no major company will have a monopoly for a few months/years following authorisation for products with potentially larger reach such as lab grown chicken.  Indeed, behind the concept of ‘lab-grown’ lies a wide range of protocols and technological approaches, which means that an authorisation cannot be requested for a sector as a whole (or a production) but for a specific company and a unique production method. Thus, a company whose technology is accepted by EFSA would gain de facto a temporary monopoly, which could be summed up by the adage ‘first come, first served’. In this sense, starting with foie gras, a more niche sector, may present the perfect ‘door opener’ for all the players.

What this request for authorisation actually tells us is that behind the technological competition there is, to a certain extent, a concerted strategy on behalf of all the players in this market to establish themselves as quickly as possible in Europe. 

EU ministers yet to be convinced

Whether lab-grown foods ever become mainstream in Europe will depend on shifts in food culture.The agriculture ministers of France, Italy and Austria recently called for a more rigorous assessment of lab-grown products, seeing these innovations as threatening “genuine production methods”. They also argue that EFSA should issue specific guidelines for assessing lab-grown products mimicking meat, similar to those used for new pharmaceuticals.

Earlier this year the three countries’ ministers, together with the Czech, Cypriot, Greek, Hungarian, Luxembourger, Lithuanian, Maltese, Romanian and Slovak ministers, called on the Commission to launch a “public consultation” on lab-grown meat. Hungary also organised a debate in the Council on the possible negative impact of novel foods on European culinary traditions, pinpointing peoples’ skepticism about novel foods and highlighting that traditional farmed meat and dairy products remain a cornerstone of European food culture.