Hong Kong allows sale of lab-grown proteins

Hong Kong has become the third market to permit the sale of cultured meat, introducing two products made from Japanese quail protein by Australian company Vow. The products will be available at The Aubrey bar in Hong Kong's Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Despite China's independent food regulators in Hong Kong, the mainland does not have a process for cultured meat approval. However, China's National Food Safety Risk Assessment Centre is working on creating a safety assessment framework for cultured meat. In April, China invested €10.4m to establish a scientific centre for the research of cultured meat and alternative proteins.

Hong Kong has become the third market in the world to allow the sale of cultured meat. Two products made from Japanese quail protein, produced by Australian firm Vow, will be sold at The Aubrey bar at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong's central district. Food regulators in Hong Kong operate independently from those in the rest of China, where there is currently no process by which companies can apply for approval. However, representatives from China's National Food Safety Risk Assessment Centre have indicated in recent conversations that they are working ...