Vow Receives Regulatory Approval to Launch “World-First” Cultivated Quail Product in Singapore – vegconomist

Australian cultivated meat company Vow announces that it has secured regulatory approval from the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) to produce and sell the world’s first cultivated quail product. 

Vow’s cell-based product originates from cells of the rare Japanese quail, Coturnix japonica, grown without animal-derived serum and antibiotics to provide a slaughter-free alternative. The Australian pioneer claims it is the only company globally that is currently offering a product free from the controversial fetal bovine serum.

With this approval, Vow becomes the fourth company in the world to receive approval for a cultivated meat product (after the US companies UPSIDE Foods and GOOD Meat and the Israeli biotech Aleph Farms) and the third company to introduce a food made from cultured cells (Aleph Farms has yet to launch its cultivated beef steaks in Israel). 

“Today we are making history yet again. We tantalised diners around the world with the Mammoth Meatball, and now we’re bringing to life another world-first – an entirely new, utterly delectable animal,” said George Peppou, CEO of Vow.

Tasting cultivated quail

Dubbed Quailia, the company’s cultivated quail will launch under a product brand called Forge as the Forged Parfait. According to Vow, its skilled chefs created a culinary masterpiece with unique flavors and textures that have never been tasted before.

The Forged Parfait is crafted with cultivated Japanese quail and other ingredients, including butter (not for vegans), shallot, tapioca starch, port wine, garlic, brandy, vegetable and fruit concentrate, olive oil, salt, and thyme.

Singaporeans can taste Vow’s Forged Parfait at the Mandala Club’s MORI from April 12 to 27. It will later be available at other top Singapore restaurants. Guests will enjoy a seven-course menu at MORI featuring Forged Parfait, created by Head Chef Chun Hong La and Chef Adem Kurcan, using non-cultivated animal products.

Dishes include a savory cannoli filled with Forged Parfait and served with Black Pearl caviar, a bun topped with Hokkaido Wagyu and Forged Parfait, and a “Forged Brûlé” layered with port jelly and cognac-poached morels.

Peppou adds, “Quailia is the ultimate expression of what we do – intentionally creating foods unlike anything we’ve had before. Forged Parfait brings together a flavor and texture combination that you can’t find anywhere else. The result is a delightful contradiction: rich yet delicate, with a unique weightless, melt-in-your-mouth quality.” 

Cultivated quail in Australia

Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Sydney, Vow has obtained novel food approval in under five years. With a total funding of $56 million, the company says it has only secured a small portion of the capital raised by its market competitors.

In Australia, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is the national authority responsible for evaluating the safety of novel foods. Last year, Vow became the first company to apply for regulatory approval in the country. FSANZ has already concluded that Vow’s cultivated quail product is safe to eat. However, the process is still in its final stages. 

Vow’s cultivated quail has been tasted in Australia at various events and is branded as Morsel. Recently, at Europe’s first cultivated meat tasting in Iceland, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, the Prime Minister of Iceland, tasted the Vow’s flagship cultivated ingredient.

Ryan Clift, Chef and owner of Tippling Club in Singapore has collaborated with the Forged brand for two years. He shares: “I’m so blown away by the profile of Forged Parfait. It’s sweet, has a beautiful, delicate flavor, and the texture is always perfect. It’s the perfect Parfait.”