Cultivated foie gras: Gourmey CEO discusses cell-based regulatory landscape as company awaits approval

02 Aug 2024 --- As cultivated foods gain acceptance in some regions and pushback in others, France-based Gourmey has filed for approval to sell its cultivated foie gras in five key markets — Singapore, the US, UK, Switzerland and the EU. Its flagship cultivated duck product targets foie gras enthusiasts, chefs and restaurants worldwide.

While conventional foie gras is part of France’s cultural heritage, its contentious production method — force-feeding ducks to increase fat deposits in their liver — concerns many consumers for animal welfare and health reasons.

Gourmey says it formulates sustainable gourmet products using cell culture technologies by combining food innovation with culinary arts.

“Gourmey does not use gene-edited or genetically-modified cells, so our application falls in scope of the novel food regulation. In the EU, this is the first time a company seeks novel food approval for cultivated food from the European Commission,” Nicolas Morin-Forest, CEO of Gourmey, tells Food Ingredients First.

“To support our novel food application, we have prepared a dossier in accordance with the relevant regulations and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) guidance, which is widely considered to represent the gold standard in novel food safety and risk assessment.”

Starting with haute-cuisine acts as a catalyst for our future product launches, says Gourmey CEO Nicolas Morin-Forest (Image credit: Cyril Marcilhacy).Once approved, the EU’s single market will give the company access to the national markets of 27 member states and the European Economic Area countries.

The regulatory nod in the EU is expected to take approximately 18-24 months, including a nine-month EFSA risk assessment.

A “springboard” for future products
Morin-Forest observes that Gourmey’s cultivated foie gras innovation comes at a “decisive” time when consumers are increasingly seeking new sustainable meat and dairy alternatives. Cultivated food is becoming a big part of this. 

“With Gourmey’s global ambitions and meat consumption in Asia projected to rise by 80% by 2050, the company is actively engaged in these regions, particularly in markets like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, where there is significant momentum around cultivated foods.”

When asked why Gourmey was particularly interested in foie gras, Morin-Forest points to the premium foods segment, which has always been at the crux of food trends and “exciting innovations.”

“Luxury and sustainability are increasingly pairing in the food industry, with “haute cuisine” acting as a catalyst for these sustainable and high-quality innovations. This is where we want to introduce our cultivated foods, and it’s going to be the springboard for Gourmey’s future product launches.”

The company’s first product is gaining commercial traction in many regions where “chefs want to keep serving high-quality foie gras,” he observes.

Strengthening food systems
Gourmey claims its production process is devoid of animal-derived components, such as fetal bovine serum and antibiotics, which are neither used during production nor present in the final product.

Commercial foie gras production involves force-feeding ducks a carbohydrate-rich diet to increase fat deposits in the liver.“The production process is based on cell culture technologies that have been used in Europe for decades. For example, for growing yeasts for bread baking, or for the production of rennet in cheese. Beginning with a small sample of animal cells and nurturing them in a nutrient-rich growth medium, the cells grow into muscle, fat or other tissues,” explains Morin-Forest.

The feed contains ingredients similar to natural animal diets, like sugars, proteins, vitamins and minerals.

The technology also reportedly significantly lowers the environmental footprint compared to conventional production in the same product category, according to a study commissioned by Gourmey, conducted under the external scientific leadership of professor Hanna Tuomisto from the University of Helsinki and the Natural Resources Institute Finland.

Morin-Forest believes diversifying protein production through such alternatives is a key contributor to sustaining food security and sustainability objectives such as decarbonization and biodiversity. 

Julia Martin, cellular agriculture lead at ProVeg, which welcomes Gourmey’s move, agrees: “Cultivated foods play an important role in ensuring that Europe strengthens its food security by reducing its dependence on imported meat that is often produced to lower environmental standards.”

“This very first EU application raises the prospect of new revenue opportunities for European farmers to grow the feedstock needed for cells to be produced on a large scale.”

Role of regulators
Authorities worldwide have established robust regulatory frameworks to assess the safety of novel foods and various countries including the US, Singapore and Israel are making regulatory approval progress. 

“Our aim from day one was to generate safety data that would tick the boxes in terms of the regulatory requirements in all target regions, so that with one data set, we could prepare and submit multiple dossiers according to the specific requirements of each region,” underscores Morin-Forest.

He is confident that Gourmey’s products will meet the highly demanding standards, “so that everyone who wants to can enjoy new gourmet experiences all around the world.”

However, he believes regulatory authority support for companies, such as pre-submission advice and a dedicated case manager throughout the approval process, can help cultivated foods advance while also ensuring “full compliance with safety requirements.”

Gourmey's cultivated foie gras innovation comes when consumers are increasingly looking for sustainable culinary experiences (Image credit: Romain Buisson).“It is also a challenge for regulators to keep up with scientific progress, but a robust regulatory framework and process supports this.”

Some countries, such as South Korea, have implemented “regulation-free special zones” specifically for cultivated meat, which help both the companies and regulators advance.

Looking ahead
Gourmey’s cultivated product has garnered positive feedback from French and international Michelin-starred chefs and fine meat distributors globally.

“Chefs describe our product’s aroma profile with roasted top notes, buttery and caramel heart notes and a long-lasting base of intense meatiness. They say it’s rich and buttery, with a delicate mouthfeel.”

“As for texture, it maintains its shape when raw and forms a delicate caramelized crust while preserving a rich and creamy interior when pan-seared,” he details.

Regarding its impact, Morin-Forest predicts Gourmey’s approval request “may encourage more companies to request market authorization, specifically in the European region, including the UK and Switzerland, which have received fewer dossiers compared to other geographies.”

Gourmey has built a versatile technology platform and plans to launch more products in the future.

By Insha Naureen