Aleph Farms—an Israeli-based cultivated meat company—has been issued the first government approval in the world for cultured beef, and also the first approval anywhere for non-chicken cultivated meat.
According to Aleph Farms, Israel’s Ministry of Health issued regulatory approval for Aleph Cuts, the world’s first cultivated beef steaks, in the form of a “No Questions” letter. This is the first for cultivated meat of any kind in the Middle East, where those at Aleph Farms say solutions to food insecurity and climate change are woven into the very fabric of regional collaboration.
In 2023, California-based cultivated meat brands Upside Foods and Good Meat were granted the final step of USDA approval to sell their chicken products commercially in U.S. restaurants and retail, and are the first two in the U.S. with that regulatory clearance. The companies had already received FDA approval, as both USDA and FDA approval are needed in the U.S. to sell cultivated meat. Good Meat previously received approval to sell its chicken in Singapore in 2020.
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Generally speaking, cultivated meat is grown from primary animal cells in cultivators similar to fermentation tanks for breweries, with some companies using edible scaffolding made of substances like soy or algae, for cells to latch onto and grow into an undefined piece of meat. Because cultivated meat doesn’t grow into specific animal parts, like chicken legs or thighs for example, the finished mass of meat is formed later into whatever the company wants to sell, like nuggets, tenders, or even whole-muscle slabs.
“The entire Aleph team has united in strength and determination to deliver no matter what during these difficult times in Israel. We are excited to carry this resilience forward in the form of innovation in agriculture and food security. Such innovation has been at the heart of Israel’s vision from the country’s very beginning, from early kibbutz practices to modern drip irrigation,” says Didier Toubia, CEO and Co-Founder of Aleph Farms. “We believe that addressing joint challenges like food security is the best way to ensure the prosperity of the Middle East and other parts of the world that rely heavily on massive food imports, especially in Asia.”
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Bruce Friedrich, founder and president at The Good Food Institute, adds, “This announcement marks a critical leap in the global race to make the meat that people love, in a way that’s better for our climate, biodiversity, and food security. Congratulations to the team at Aleph Farms on becoming the third company in the world to secure regulatory approval for cultivated meat and the first for a cultivated beef product. We’re thrilled that consumers in Israel will soon join those in the US and Singapore able to purchase these delicious products.”
The first Aleph Cut to be introduced to diners in Israel—the cultivated Petit Steak—is made of non-modified, non-immortalized cells of a premium Black Angus cow named Lucy, as well as a plant protein matrix made of soy and wheat. Aside from starter cells that come from one of Lucy’s fertilized eggs, there are zero animal-derived components (i.e., no fetal bovine serum) in the cultivation process and the final product. No antibiotics are used in production, nor are any present in the final product. A controlled and traceable process, including an aseptic production environment, increases transparency and greatly reduces any risk of contamination.
