Lab-grown meat, dairy may come under FSSAI regulation

Push to frame standards for lab-grown proteins, despite doubts over its acceptance

- Priyanka Sharma

The debate on laboratory-grown meat, dairy, and egg products may soon be settled, with the issue reaching India's apex food regulator, three people aware of the development said.

The development comes against the backdrop of concerns about public health, food security and ecological sustainability.

While the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has put in place a regulatory framework for plant-based protein products, manufacturers and sellers of fermentation-derived and cultivated protein products have been operating in a regulatory void.

A representation has been made by former Union minister Maneka Gandhi's People for Animals-Public Policy Foundation (PAPPF) to FSSAI for framing regulations, according to a 13 November communication to FSSAI reviewed by Mint.

"We have asked FSSAI to make standards," Gandhi said in an emailed response to Mint's queries.

"We have received a presentation on cellular meat from them," an FSSAI official confirmed, requesting anonymity. Any decision by the food regulator would help decide the trajectory of fermentation-derived and cultivated meat, dairy, and egg products in the country.