Cell-based food production, which is the field of growing animal agricultural products directly from cell cultures, has been explored as an alleged sustainable alternative to the conventional livestock agricultural system. As commercial cell-based food production continues to expand, the urgency increases to address one of the most important questions of consumers, the question of food safety.
Thus, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), has developed the present document to engage with respective Members and relevant stakeholders by proactively sharing the current knowledge to identify concrete ways to inform consumers and all other stakeholders about the food safety considerations for cell-based food products.
The way forward will consist of continuing to invest in research and development in order to understand whether the alleged benefits in increased sustainability can be realized. In this regard, it will be important to closely observe as to what extent, if any, cell-based foods result in differences from conventionally produced foods.
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