The Next Web reports that the Netherlands could become the first country in Europe to allow people to taste cultivated meat from animal cells, following Singapore and the US, two other countries in the world who currently serve this type of products.

Lab-developed food will become a necessity in the future, as our current food system becomes more and more strained, due to the increase in human population and the degradation of farming land.

There are already a number of startups who cultivate animal cells in order to grow meat products that we consume on a daily basis, a healthier and risk-free solution to eating animal protein. Wildtype is a US-based startup that aims to put cultivated sushi on our plates and you can learn more about the company's story in our full story article here.

Back to Europe, though, it seems that officials on the old continent will begin allowing for more tastings, as these are important when it comes to nailing the taste of the cultivated meat. While the texture and properties are pretty easy to match, taste is one thing that is tricky for companies to come by and it is important for them to do so, if they want as many people to switch to cellular-based meat.

Maarten Bosch, CEO of Mosa Meat, is one expert who welcomes the decision of the Dutch government, as he believes that controlled tastings will allow the company to develop better products and faster, too.

"Mosa Meat will use these controlled tastings to gather invaluable feedback on our products and to educate key stakeholders about the role cellular agriculture can play in helping Europe meet our food sovereignty and sustainability goals", he said.

Cellular Agriculture Netherlands is the new organization Dutch officials established, which will oversee the tastings under a specific code of practice.

Meatable is another Dutch-based company which will put cultivated sausages and dumplings, among other products, on the plates of its customers for tasting. Recently, US officials allowed companies such as Upside Foods and Good Meat to sell their cell-based chicken, while Singapore already began public tastings earlier this year.

More competition on this market will be good for everybody, whether we're talking about customers who may get more products at fairer prices or the animals, who won't have to be slaughtered any more for our need of protein.