Global developments in the regulation of cultivated meat: A comparative study of the EU, Singapore, US and Australia and New Zealand
Hope Johnson, Alessandro Monaco
Abstract
Abstract Cultivated meat, that is, animal flesh grown through cell culturing techniques, also termed cellular agriculture, is positioned by proponents, developers and some governments as the future of food and the solution to the multiple environmental issues associated with intensive animal agriculture. Governments around the world are starting to regulate cultivated meat. This article provides the first comparative analysis of how the United States, the European Union, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand are regulating cultivated meat. It finds that a broadly similar approach is emerging, yet there are significant differences regarding the degree of public participation, the level of consultation between the applicant and the regulator and the role of non‐scientific considerations such as environmental impacts and rural livelihoods. As part of this analysis, this article identifies and applies differing, normative interpretations regarding how cultivated meat should be regulated. These interpretative paradigms are in turn connected with diverging ideas about the role of technology and regulation in addressing environmental issues.