AlDhabaan & Partners in association with Eversheds Sutherland advises GOOD Meat on the acceptance of cultivated halal meat by leading Shariah scholars

AlDhabaan & Partners in association with Eversheds Sutherland has advised GOOD Meat, the cultivated meat division of food technology company Eat Just, Inc., on the discussions with stakeholders and relevant authorities, alongside a trio of well-respected  Shariah scholars in Saudi Arabia, on reviewing the status of cultivated meat production, and putting forward the necessary criteria to meet halal standards.

Our team has arranged with the trio of scholars, which included Sheikh Abdullah AlManea, Professor Abdullah al-Mutlaq and Professor Saad Al-Shathry, prepared documentation alongside GOOD Meat for the scholars to study, and participated in the discussions with the relevant stakeholders to explore how the cultivated chicken, GOOD Meat’s first offering can be halal.

The abovementioned trio of scholars advised that lab-grown, cultivated meat can be halal, if it meets the following conditions:

• The cell line is from an animal that is permissible to eat, such as a chicken or a cow

• The animal the cell line is extracted from is slaughtered according to Islamic law

• The nutrients fed to the cells are permissible to eat, and do not include any substances that are forbidden to be eaten such as spilled blood, alcohol or materials extracted from animals that have not been slaughtered properly or pigs

• The cultivated meat is edible and that it does not harm human health, and this is confirmed by referring to specialists, such as a country’s food regulatory agency

The Shariah compliant legal opinion is a positive sign for cultivated meat companies that want to cater to halal consumers, who represent over a quarter of the world’s population.

The AlDhabaan & Partners in association with Eversheds Sutherland team was led by Partner Mohammad AlAhmad, supported by Principal Associate Ali Nuor, and Trainee Leen Al Moaiqel.