Cultivated meat is poised to debut on restaurant menus in Australia and New Zealand, as Vow prepares to launch its alt-quail products under the Forged brand.
According to Green Queen, Forged dishes will be served in the coming weeks at venues including Bottarga and The Lincoln in Melbourne and Nel, The Waratah, and Kitchen by Mike in Sydney. Offerings will include foie gras-style plates and quail parfait.
“This isn’t about replacing the meats we know and love,” said Mike McEnearney, executive chef at Kitchen by Mike. “It’s about trying something entirely new – something that can only exist because of how it’s made. For chefs, that’s incredibly exciting. But for all of us, it’s a huge opportunity.”
The debut follows regulatory approval from Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), which has cleared the Sydney-based food-tech company to sell its cell-based quail meat across both countries.
Produced using a small number of animal cells cultivated in fermentation tanks, alt-quail meat is created within 79 days in a process designed to replicate the natural biological environment of the animal.
The decision comes after a multi-year review and public consultation process, culminating in amendments to the Food Standards Code.
In 2023, FSANZ confirmed that Vow’s cultivated quail met food safety standards, paving the way for commercial distribution. Earlier this year, Vow also became the fourth company globally to receive regulatory clearance for cultivated meat, following approval in Singapore.
“We’re crafting meats that aren’t just rich and complex, but downright irresistible,” said George Peppou, co-founder and CEO of Vow. “Many chefs describe the product’s signature umami depth and silky, melt-in-your-mouth texture as unlike anything they’ve worked with before.”
Vow aims to produce up to 900kg of cultivated meat per harvest by the end of this year, scaling to approximately 10.8 tonnes per month. Future expansion could boost monthly production to more than 20 tonnes.
