Overview

• Food Standards Australia New Zealand approved the sale of three cultured quail products on June 18 after a two-and-a-half-year review found no significant nutritional or allergenic risks.
• Vow Foods uses a seven-metre food-grade bioreactor to cultivate Japanese quail cells and achieved a world-record 538 kilogram harvest in a single production run.
• The startup has raised about $80 million in venture funding and is debuting its premium cultured quail pâté, foie gras and edible tallow candle at high-end venues in Sydney and Melbourne.
• Following a 200 percent monthly demand increase in Singapore, Vow plans a rollout of its lab-grown quail offerings in the UK, followed by the Middle East later this year.
• Independent life-cycle analyses warn that cultured meat’s environmental footprint could exceed that of conventional products unless producers shift from pharmaceutical-grade to food-grade inputs.