UK's Food Standards Agency (FSA) has launched a two-year programme to evaluate the safety of cell-cultivated products (CCPs) before they are rolled out for human consumption.
The programme will see a team of scientists and regulatory experts collaborating with academic bodies, the CCP industry players, and trade organisations.
They will gather information about how CCPs are made and inform the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Foods Standards Scotland (FSS) on how to regulate these products.
The evidence will allow the FSA to assess CCP applications more efficiently and make sure they are safe before they can be sold to consumers.
The FSA will also provide guidance to businesses, and address questions that must be answered before any CCPs can enter the market.
The food-safety body has pledged to complete a full safety assessment of two CCPs within the next two years as part of the programme.
Professor Robin May, chief scientific advisor at the FSA, stated, "Safe innovation is at the heart of this programme. By prioritising consumer safety and making sure new foods, like CCPs are safe, we can support growth in innovative sectors.
"Our aim is to ultimately provide consumers with a wider choice of new food, while maintaining the highest safety standards."
Programme Partners
The FSA has selected eight CCP companies to participate in the programme, including Hoxton Farms (UK), BlueNalu (USA), Mosa Meat (The Netherlands), Gourmey (France), Roslin Technologies (UK), Uncommon Bio (UK), Vital Meat (France) and Vow (Australia).
The participants were selected to represent the diverse, international range of technologies, processes, and ingredients used in CCP production.
Science minister, Lord Vallance, added, "By supporting the safe development of cell-cultivated products, we’re giving businesses the confidence to innovate and accelerating the UK’s position as a global leader in sustainable food production.
"This work will not only help bring new products to market faster, but strengthen consumer trust, supporting our Plan for Change and creating new economic opportunities across the country."
Academic partners in the project include the Cellular Agriculture Manufacturing Hub (CARMA) led by the University of Bath, the National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre (NAPIC), and the Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein.
The trade body representing the broader industry is the Alternative Proteins Association (APA), alongside the non-governmental organisation (NGO) The Good Food Institute Europe (GFI), the FSA added.
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