Will the European Union soon be feeding on cultured meat, insects or herbs with various properties to combat climate change in a context of overpopulation? This was the question asked by participants at the conference “Unblocking innovation — Shaping ‘Food 2030’ — Envisaging ‘Food 2050’” to the European Economic and Social Committee on Tuesday, 9 July.
This theme is all the more relevant as this day marked, according to WWF, the ‘European Fish Dependence Day’, which is the moment when the EU has used up all its own seafood resources and must rely entirely on imports for the rest of the year to meet demand.
Status of the legislative framework
On this occasion, the European Commission presented the progress of its work and the legislative framework in force. Massimo Burioni, Project Officer at DG Research and Innovation, said that the Commission was funding, through its Horizon 2020 programme, a project called Fit4food2030, involving some 15 partners to guide the next research cycle (2017-2020). Takis Daskaleros, from DG Health, provided an update on the Regulation on novel foods (2015/2283), which has been in force since 1 January 2018. Like the old one, it covers any novel food or ingredient for which human consumption was insignificant or non-existent before 15 May 1997 in the European Union, but it simplifies authorisation procedures: “The main difference between the old and new regulations is that the procedure is centralised. So it's faster, 16 to 18 months on average”, explains Takis Daskaleros. He claims that the old Regulation had led to 120 applications for authorisation, half of which had been granted, and that since 1 January 2018, 203 applications had been submitted, resulting in the amendment of the EU list of novel foods authorised 26 times. “The system is working effectively”, he said.
However, during the exchange of views, several industry representatives indicated that they were encountering certain difficulties, as did this agri-food lawyer, Gilles Boin, who came to talk about cannabis. He mentioned the ambiguity surrounding this product: “If the whole plant [with the flower and leaves, which are not known to be considered drugs, editor's note] is not a novel food, there is no reason for the plant [the stem] to be one”. MosaMeat CEO Peter Verstrate, whose company develops cultured meat (produced in vitro from real cells), has called for a more “interactive” authorisation procedure.
What future for meat?
In his speech, Peter Verstrate recalled that global demand for meat is expected to increase by 70% by 2050 and promoted cell-based alternatives. He indicated that he expects this type of product to enter the food chain within 10 years.
For her part, Camille Perrin, in charge of food policy at BEUC, recalled that consumers were particularly sensitive to, in order, the origin of the product, its price, its safety, its taste, its health qualities and its sustainability. She stressed the importance of food safety and informing consumers, which she said required appropriate labelling.
She also recalled the current controversy over “veggie burgers”: during a spring vote, the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture suggested banning the terms steak, sausage, escalope, burger or hamburger for products of plant origin. This issue should resurface, as the new European Parliament now has to negotiate this position with the Member States as part of a legislative text on the future of the Common Agricultural Policy. In any case, it underlines the importance of consumers being involved in the choice. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)