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The Japan Association for Cellular Agriculture (JACA), a non-profit think tank in Japan dedicated to creating policy recommendations and industrial guidelines for cultivated food, announces the release of its insightful report on international safety assessment and regulatory trends.
The report aims to serve as a vital resource for stakeholders in the cultivated food industry in Japan, offering an in-depth understanding of the safety assessment and regulatory trends, mainly implemented by Japan-focused domestic and international startups. By addressing critical safety considerations and showcasing practices taken by industry players, as the next step, JACA seeks to pave the way for the consensus-building about the necessary measures to be taken by cellular agriculture companies for safety under the Japanese regulations. Read the full report on their website here.
About the report
The document reports on the current regulatory and safety evaluation of cultivated meat and seafood products. The information gathered is based on a literature review complemented by surveys and one-on-one interviews with Japanese and international cultivated meat and seafood companies. Approximately ten companies participated in detailed interviews, and forty companies were engaged in finalizing the report.
To make the report informative for the local authority to consider short-to-mid-term measures, companies with high motivations to enter the Japanese cellular agriculture market were selected to be involved in the interview and discussion process.
This report consists of four sections: a comparison of data required by different regulatory authorities for the safety demonstration of cultivated food, a description of the manufacturing methods and substances used in cultivated food production, an analysis of the hazards and control measures for cultivated food products, and a summary of recommended information requirements to be included in a regulatory submission for approval of cultivated meat and seafood products.
How it’s made
JACA appointed Vireo Advisors, renowned for their significant contributions to safety knowledge and practice through their publications, including contributing to the FAO’s publication on the safety aspects of cell-based food, to achieve the one-year-long study to grasp the general trend of safety assessment and regulatory measures.
Comments from the project leader and authors
Megumi Avigail Yoshitomi, President of the Japan Association for Cellular Agriculture, stated, “Our comprehensive report is a significant step forward in understanding the safety landscape surrounding cultivated food. We are grateful for the collaborative spirit of the many experts and organizations involved, particularly Vireo Advisors, whose expertise has been invaluable in shaping this publication.”
Jo Anne Shatkin, President of Vireo Advisors said, “We are delighted to collaborate with JACA and contribute our novel food safety expertise toward the development of regulatory policy and an agreed safety assessment approach in Japan. The report highlights the state of safety knowledge and practice from the view of diverse international stakeholders toward commercial acceptance of cultivated food products.”
This publication is part of JACA’s ongoing commitment to draft necessary safety assessment and management measures under Japanese regulations.
About JACA
JACA is a non-profit think tank where academia and industry stakeholders collaborate to make policy and industrial guideline recommendations for the appropriate social implementation of cellular agriculture. The association was founded in 2019 and legally established in 2022, currently comprising over 50 membership companies and scientists. For more information about the report or to download a copy, please visit JACA’s website.