Cultivated Duck Approved as Food Ingredient in Australia and New Zealand

Gourmey's cell-cultured duck biomass has been approved by FSANZ for use in products like foie gras and pâté, pending ministerial review.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has approved an application from Paris-based Gourmey to permit its cell-cultured duck biomass as a food ingredient. Once the decision clears ministerial review, the ingredient can be used in products such as foie gras and pâté. The FSANZ board approved application A1341 on October 6, and the regulator notified the Food Ministers’ Meeting on October 13. Ministers now have 60 days to request a review or confirm they will not. The amendment to the Food Standards Code then takes effect on gazettal. Gourmey is the culinary brand of Parima, which was formed in October 2025 when Gourmey acquired French cultivated meat company Vital Meat. The company submitted its dossier in August 2025, and FSANZ made the application public that October. The board decision follows Parima’s completion of FSANZ’s core safety assessment in May. Wholesale supply and mandatory labelling The biomass is grown from an embryonic stem cell line, designated 8516-Duck-DP, sourced from Pekin duck. FSANZ’s approval report confirms the line is not genetically modified. The regulator found no public health or safety concerns associated with either the cell line or the harvested biomass. As a condition, the duck biomass cannot be sold directly to consumers. It can be supplied wholesale to caterers and food manufacturers, and used as an ingredient in foodservice dishes and in mixed foods sold at retail. Labels must pair the ingredient name with “cell-cultured” or “cell-cultivated,” and retail packaging cannot carry the phrase “poultry meat.” The permission covers only biomass from the assessed cell line. FSANZ’s report also notes that the dossier was based on a 200-litre production process, while the company intends to scale to 2,500 litres. FSANZ received 17 submissions during consultation, which ran from June 24 to July 22. Submitters included the Australian Meat Industry Council, Australian Pork Limited, Cattle Australia, and Australian duck producer Luv-a-Duck. Luv-a-Duck raised concerns about microbiological controls during scale-up and about labelling. It argued that duck, unlike quail, is an established agricultural commodity with a domestic industry. Two submitters opposed the approval outright. FSANZ approved the draft variation without amendment. If ministers let the variation proceed, cultivated duck will become the second cell-cultured food permitted in Australia and New Zealand, after Vow’s quail. Gourmey will also be the first company from outside the two countries to hold such a permission. Parima received Singapore approval for its cultivated duck in April 2026, following its cultivated chicken in October 2025. According to the FSANZ report, the company has also filed applications for the duck in Switzerland, the UK, and the EU, and is in pre-market consultation with the US FDA. No launch date for Australia or New Zealand has been announced. Thank you! Please confirm your newsletter subscription in the email we just sent you. Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ)

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