The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) has selected eight companies to participate in a two-year regulatory programme focused on evaluating the safety of cell-cultivated products (CCPs). The initiative is funded by the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology’s Engineering Biology Sandbox Fund and will involve collaboration with academic institutions and industry representatives.
“We’re […] accelerating the UK’s position as a global leader in sustainable food production”
The programme is designed to gather scientific evidence on the production and safety of CCPs, which will inform the regulatory framework overseen by the FSA and Food Standards Scotland (FSS). The data collected is expected to support more efficient assessments of CCP applications. As part of the initiative, the FSA has committed to conducting full safety evaluations of two CCPs during the two-year period.
Science Minister Lord Vallance stated, “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.”
Industry participation and collaboration
The selected companies—Hoxton Farms (UK), BlueNalu (USA), Mosa Meat (Netherlands), Gourmey (France), Roslin Technologies (UK), Uncommon Bio (UK), Vital Meat (France), and Vow (Australia)—were chosen to reflect a range of technologies and processes used in CCP production.
In addition to engaging with these companies, the programme will collaborate with the Cellular Agriculture Manufacturing Hub (CARMA) at the University of Bath, the National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre (NAPIC), and the Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein. The Alternative Proteins Association (APA) and The Good Food Institute Europe (GFI) will also participate in industry representation.
Professor Robin May, chief scientific advisor at the FSA, remarked, “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.”
Mosa Meat’s role in the programme
Among the selected participants, Mosa Meat will contribute its expertise in cultivated beef production. The Netherlands-based company introduced the first cultivated beef burger in 2013 and recently raised €3.8 million in crowdfunding (over 250% above its target raise). It has also submitted regulatory applications for cultivated beef fat in the EU. Mosa Meat sees its participation in the FSA’s initiative as a step toward advancing cultivated meat regulation and market entry in the UK.
Mosa Meat’s chief scientific officer, Dr. Mark Post, stated, “We are honoured to be one of the few included in this government-funded collaborative programme and excited to contribute the knowledge of our 70+ scientists toward a co-learning process that benefits the Food Standards Agency and other cultivated meat and seafood companies.”
