Cultivated Meat Hits Aussie Parliament Plates And It Could Change the World

Scott Mathias
Jun 12
2 min read

Updated: Jun 16

They came. They saw. They chewed. And just like that, Australia’s cultivated meat sector went from science fiction to rooftop function.

Source: Magic Valley - NSW Minister for Innovation Anoulack Chanthivong, event host and Animal Justice Party representative Emma Hurst, Magic Valley CEO Paul Bevan, and NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey.

Magic Valley hosted the country’s first-ever official tasting of cultivated meat at New South Wales Parliament, dishing up lab-grown lamb meatballs and pork dumplings to a crowd not known for their risk-taking palates: politicians.

Yes, the future of food was served, steaming hot, bio-engineered, and cell-cultured, on Parliament’s Rooftop Garden like it was just another catered lunch.

But this was no sausage roll. This was cultivated meat featuring real animal cells, grown without the animal. And for the first time, elected officials weren’t just legislating about it. They were eating it.

Among the diners: NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey, Innovation Minister Anoulack Chanthivong, and a cross-party gathering of MPs, advisors, and curious bureaucrats. Hosting the event was Emma Hurst MLC of the Animal Justice Party, who didn’t mince words: “I have no doubt that cultivated meat will change the world,” she declared. “NSW has the chance to lead, not follow, the global shift to cellular agriculture.”

And Magic Valley isn’t showing up with just hype and hors d'oeuvres.

Source: Magic Valley - Cultivated lamb meat balls and pork dumplings

They were the first company globally to produce animal component-free cultivated lamb using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Since then, they’ve added pork and beef prototypes to their line-up, all while refining their process inside a Melbourne-based pilot facility. They're not just chasing novelty, they're hitting record cell densities in bioreactors, scaling tech that’s starting to look more like infrastructure than innovation.

This Parliament tasting wasn’t a one-off stunt. It’s part of a wider momentum shift. Magic Valley recently secured a $100,000 grant under the Federal Industry Growth Program, and they’re eligible for up to $5 million in matched funding to build Australia’s first commercial manufacturing facility. The site is “state agnostic”, which means any region in Australia with the foresight to back cultivated protein could win a homegrown biotech plant.

And that changes everything. Because suddenly this isn’t a fringe idea. It’s lunch. It’s jobs. It’s export potential. It’s tech-sector dominance. And it’s absolutely something government wants a piece of.

This is how food systems evolve. Quietly. Deliciously. Direct to decision-makers.

Audio Sponsors Link

ENDS:

Comments

Plant-Based for Pint-Sized Palates as Alpro Goes All-In on Alpha Gen with Kids Range

Alpro in the UK has just dropped a new plant-based range aimed squarely at kids and not just any kids. This one’s got Gen Alpha written all over it. From banana-flavoured oat drinks to choc coconut indulgence pots, it’s dairy-free, climate-considerate, and dripping in cartoon-forward packaging designed to lure the lunchbox crowd.

2 hours ago2 min read

How Mushrooms Became the Social Media Star of 2025

Once just a squishy afterthought on a pizza or a supporting act in a stir-fry, mushrooms have gone from background noise to full-blown digital celebrity. And not just any mushrooms, we’re talking about the exotic, the shaggy, the shelf-stable, the biohacked.

2 days ago2 min read

IKEA Serves Budget Falafel with a Side of Social Responsibility

IKEA’s global decision to halve weekday restaurant prices is less about moving meatballs and more about social responsibility. Ingka Group, the retail giant behind the IKEA brand will slash meal prices Monday to Friday and let children eat free in dozens of markets, framing the move as “support for everyday life” rather than an inventory clear-out.

3 days ago2 min read

Spice of Life as Saffron Gets Serious About Your Mood

There’s a quiet little revolution brewing in your supplement drawer and it’s not ashwagandha, rhodiola, or yet another adaptogen with a complicated name and questionable Instagram science. Nope. This one’s been around since Cleopatra and has been flavouring bouillabaisse and biryanis for centuries. Say hello (again) to saffron, the golden-hued stamen of Crocus sativus, now armed with clinical receipts.

5 days ago2 min read

PFN Ai Archive depicting animal meat and green lentils.

Why Hybrid Meats and Private Labels Are the Real Plant-Based Power Move - Report

But forecasts don’t pay at the checkout. Grocery aisles are still ruled by price paranoia - retail inflation has shoppers trading down, not trading up. The very same study concedes stubborn production costs keep most patties dearer than the real-meat equivalent which is a handbrake on mainstream uptake. So the move is on for more hybrid meats.

6 days ago2 min read

PFN Ai Archives - Depiction showing Del Monte canned fruit products.

Fruit Giant Falls - Del Monte Foods Corp Demise Sparks Global Canned Food Reckoning

The shelves may still be stocked, but behind the scenes, one of the world’s most recognisable food brands is collapsing under the weight of its own cans. Del Monte Foods Corp. has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US, announcing a fire-sale of assets and a management pledge to “reset” the company under new ownership.

7 days ago3 min read

Suzuki Swaps Turbochargers for Turmeric With a Four-Pack of Shelf-Stable Vegetarian Curries

Vegetarian curry isn’t the first thing you expect from a company famous for two-stroke motorbikes and the indestructible Jimny, yet that’s exactly where Suzuki has pointed its latest innovation. What began as a canteen experiment, feeding homesick Indian engineers a taste “just like Mum makes”, has accelerated into a national retail launch - four-pack of shelf stable vegetarian curries selling online for 918 yen (about US $5.70) a pop.

Jul 32 min read

Bobby-Calf Protein Snack Wins Fieldays Award – and Sparks Fresh Calls for Cultivated Meat

Bobby-calf protein snack, Mīti, has walked away with a prized Fieldays 2025 Innovation Award, but the win has ignited backlash over New Zealand’s long-running bobby-calf dilemma and sharpened consumer curiosity about cultivated, bio-manufactured meat alternatives. Oamaru start-up Alps2Ocean Foods Tapui Ltd took the Early-Stage and People’s Choice trophies for a “world-first, shelf-stable, functional protein snack” made from surplus dairy calves – animals routinely removed fro

Jul 12 min read

1/130

> ADVERTISE WITH US <