Health & Safety

The resources below give a general overview of the food safety risk management processes involved in cellular agriculture.

A general overview of cellular agriculture procedures that require risk management protocols.

A proposed framework for evaluating meat alternatives – Semper et al. (November 2024). A proposed framework for evaluating meat alternatives, including evaluation of structural and nutritional properties and a general assessment of food safety.

Understanding cell-cultured seafood and its food safety challenges − Stivers et al. (March 2024). Discusses hazards associated with various stages of the cell-cultivated seafood production process, alongside a discussion of Canada’s regulatory framework for cellular agriculture.

Ensuring the safety of cultivated meat: HACCP plan development and application to a cultivated meat target-product − Good Food Institute Brasil (October 2023). Presents a hypothetical food safety plan for bovine-origin cultivated meat burgers using the HACCP (Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Point) assessment approach, with hazard analysis performed according to FAO, FDA and Codex Alimentarius guidelines.

Food safety aspects of cell-based food − Food and Agriculture Organisation & World Health Organisation (March 2023). Gives an overview of technical matters, terminology/nomenclature and global regulatory frameworks relevant to the safety and perception of cell-based food, with case studies from Israel, Qatar and Singapore.

Cell-based food: its safety and its future role − Food and Agriculture Organisation (September 2022). At this industry roundtable, companies active in various jurisdictions provided illustrative case studies of their cell-based food safety approaches, covering every stage of production from cell to table.

Food safety considerations and research priorities for the cultured meat and seafood industry − Ong et al. (October 2021). This review discusses hazards and associated safety responses associated with each stage of an industry-informed hypothetical cultured meat production process.

Existing regulatory frameworks in jurisdictions such as Singapore and NZ-Australia require detailed safety information on the identity, source, selection, preparation and storage of cell lines used for cell-based agriculture. The resources below discuss procedures to ensure the quality and safety of novel inputs – such as cell lines, cell culture media, and growth factors – in further detail.

A risk-based approach can guide safe cell line development and cell banking for scaled-up cultivated meat production – Bennie et al. (January 2025). This article focuses on the food safety risks involved with the use of cells for food production, as well as using food safety dossiers submitted by various cultivated meat companies as case studies.

Risk management wheel showing hazards & responses when using cell lines in food production.

Potential hazards* that arise during the initial stages of the cultivated meat production process are highlighted red in the diagram, while responses aimed at mitigating these hazards are highlighted green.

*In food safety terms, a hazard is “a factor or agent that may lead to undesirable effects” (Bennie et al., 2025).

Development of a Safety-Assessed Media Ingredient (SAMI) framework for streamlined safety assessment of cultivated meat and seafood products – Ong et al. (August 2025). Investigates the food safety profile and acceptable residue levels of various cell culture media used for cell growth and differentiation within the cultivated meat production process.

A review on the safety of growth factors commonly used in cultivated meat production – Huang et al. (May 2024). A study of the food safety of growth factors added in the production of cultivated meat, with a comparison to growth factors present in food animals as well as in humans.

Scaffolding technologies for the engineering of cultured meat: Towards a safe, sustainable, and scalable production – Levi et al. (August 2022). A review of various scaffolding approaches for cultured meat that analyses their benefits and drawbacks with respect to safety and scalability.

To date, there is no universal labelling system to identify that a product that has been made using cellular agriculture processes, or standard guidelines for the nutritional profile of cell-cultured products. The resources listed below provide an overview of developments taking place in this space.

GFI and the Codex Alimentarius commission – Good Food Institute (July 2025). Looks at the current discussions around Codex standards for alternative proteins.

Cell-cultured meat products policy statement – NZ Ministry of Primary Industries (March 2024). Provides Aotearoa New Zealand-specific guidance for the nutritional profile of cell-cultured meat products.

Cell-based, cell-cultured, cell-cultivated, cultured, or cultivated. What is the best name for meat, poultry, and seafood made directly from the cells of animals? – Hallman, Hallman & Hallman (December 2023). A survey of 4385 US Americans was performed to determine which labels clearly indicate the novel nature of cell-based meat, while also appropriately signalling allergenicity. The term “cell-cultured” was found to have the best consumer acceptance out of the terms that were also compatible with regulatory requirements.

Anti-market, unconstitutional, and unnecessary: An overview of food label censorship – The Good Food Institute (December 2021). An overview of “labelling censorship” and its potential consequences.

Cell-based meat: current ambiguities with nomenclature – Ong, Choudhury and Naing (August 2020). This article discusses the range of names associated with cellular agriculture and the issues with labelling clarity that result.