Food Frontier has announced Vow co-founder and CEO George Peppou and Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) Principal Toxicologist and Risk Assessor Dr Nick Fletcher as key speakers at its upcoming AltProteins 23 conference.
Taking place in Melbourne on 4 October, the conference is expected to play a central role in fostering dialogue at a “decisive moment” for the region’s cultivated meat industry (also known as cultured meat).
Vow’s application to become the first ever company to sell cultivated meat in ANZ is under review, and public consultation is expected to open before the conference.
Food Frontier Executive Director Dr Simon Eassom says he hopes the public will get behind the application.
“To imagine that an Australian food tech company could be among the first to bring this protein option to our plates is very exciting,” he says.
“Alternative proteins can be part of the solution to Australia’s declining export complexity, which we saw through Harvard Kennedy School’s recent announcement that Australia’s worldwide position had deteriorated significantly to 93rd in the world, due to a heavy reliance on exporting raw goods.
“China is making significant inroads investing in and scaling up cultivated meat production, as are a host of other countries. Vow is demonstrating food systems innovation and technical leadership and, if approval is granted, will propel Australia onto the international stage as a trailblazer in the race to develop complementary solutions to the world’s growing protein needs.”
Globally, Singapore was the first to approve cultivated meat in 2020, and the US became second in June 2023. The company behind GOOD Meat’s inaugural US approval will also speak at AltProteins 23.
AltProteins 23 is on 4 October at Sofitel on Collins, Melbourne. To view the program and register, visit altproteinsconference.com.au.