Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has commenced its assessment of an application from Vow Group Pty Ltd seeking approval of cultured quail meat.
Assessment of application A1269 - Cultured Quail as a Novel Food will include chemical, nutritional, microbiological and dietary exposure assessments, detailed examination of the applicant's production process and a review of the food science to ensure that the product is safe to consume prior to it going on sale.
To help inform aspects of its assessment, FSANZ is commissioning research to better understand consumer attitudes to products produced by new technologies, including whether any specific labelling requirements are needed.
The assessment is expected to take around 12 months and will include two rounds of public consultation at dates to be advised.
If the product is approved by FSANZ, Australian and New Zealand food ministers will have 60 days to review FSANZ's decision.
Statements attributable to the FSANZ CEO, Dr Sandra Cuthbert
"The food sector is seeing rapid innovation and change in products and markets globally. FSANZ's primary role is to ensure a safe food supply so Australian and New Zealand consumers can be confident the foods they choose to buy are safe to eat.
"Consumers can have trust and confidence in FSANZ's independent scientific assessment. We develop world-leading standards and our experts have a strong track record of assessing the safety of novel foods.
