The precision fermentation landscape is somewhat unbalanced. While the US and Europe both boast a growing number of start-ups working to replace conventional animal products with microbally-derived alternatives, the former is ‘way ahead’ of Europe in terms of getting these products to market.

To offer up an example of different approaches to novel food regulation on both sides of the Atlantic, [regulatory expert Hannah] Lester drew delegates’ attention to Impossible Foods’ precision fermentation derived heme ingredient.

To develop the ingredient-which Impossible says is responsible for making conventional meat resemble and taste like…well, meat- the company took DNA from soy plants and inserted it into a genetically engineered yeast. This yeast is then fermented to produce animal-free heme.

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Europeans are largely much more concerned about genetically engineered food than populations in the US… The regulatory expert argues the EU guidance on GMOs, which was issued in 2011, is ‘well overdue’ a ‘massive update’. Ambiguous ‘grey areas’ exist within the guidance which make it ‘really tricky’ for businesses.

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​Overall, there is a ‘huge’ amount of work to do, she stressed, in educating the European Commission and speaking to Member State authorities, as well as updating policymakers’ knowledge about this so-called novel field.

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