French food startup Gourmey has become the first company to apply for EU market access for cultivated or “lab-grown” meat, after it submitted an application for a cell-based duck product to the European Commission on Thursday.
The novel food would be used for foie gras, a traditional dish in France that has garnered increasing criticism over animal welfare concerns. Made from the bloated liver of a force-fed duck or goose, its production has been banned in a dozen EU countries.
“It’s really not about replacing anything, but it’s actually about complementing the current offer,” Nicolas Morin-Forest, CEO of Gourmey, said in an interview with POLITICO.
“We are a French company and we see this first product as paying tribute to an iconic delicacy of our gastronomy,” he said, noting that Gourmey has also applied for market approval in emerging markets like the U.K. and Switzerland, plus established ones in Singapore and the U.S.A.
