Australia approves lab-grown quail meat for restaurant sale

AUSTRALIA – Australian food tech company Vow has secured regulatory approval to sell its lab-grown Japanese quail meat, marking a first for the country’s cultivated meat sector.

The company confirmed that three products from its Forged brand have received the green light from Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) following a review that took more than two years.

The items will initially be introduced through a limited rollout in select Melbourne and Sydney restaurants starting in July.

These dishes feature cultivated quail meat developed using a small number of cells from a Japanese quail subspecies, which are then grown in bioreactors without the need to raise or slaughter animals.

Vow launched the first of these products—a quail parfait—during an event in Singapore in April 2024, positioning it as the company’s flagship offering.

The process involves isolating the cells responsible for meat texture and flavour before growing them into consumable portions using lab equipment.

Later in November 2024, the company expanded its offerings to include a cultured version of foie gras, which was introduced in Singapore, the US, and Hong Kong.

Foie gras is traditionally produced by force-feeding ducks or geese to fatten their livers, a process that has faced bans in several jurisdictions due to animal welfare concerns.

Vow’s cultivated foie gras is made without force-feeding or slaughter, and the company claims it replicates both the flavour and fatty texture typical of the traditional product.

This regulatory approval makes Australia and New Zealand the third region globally where Vow’s products can be sold, following earlier approvals in Singapore.

Worldwide, only two other companies—Upside Foods and Eat Just’s Good Meat—have received similar regulatory clearance to commercialise cell-based meat.

According to a post published by Vow on its LinkedIn page, the company views this approval as a starting point for introducing a new kind of meat production.

The post did not mention pricing details, though Vow has previously indicated its long-term goal is to make cultivated meat affordable to a broad consumer base.

The announcement comes amid a growing interest in alternatives to conventional animal farming, with sustainability and ethical concerns driving innovation in food technology.

Restaurants offering the Forged quail dishes are expected to price them in the premium range, though exact figures have not yet been released.

Sign up HERE to receive our email newsletters with the latest news and insights from Africa and around the world, and follow us on our WhatsApp channel for updates.