In the UK, a Labour government is now in power for the first time in 14 years. Change is on the horizon in terms of food policy and approvals in the country, which has just recorded its first decrease in meat production in over a decade, and where experts predict a radical dietary shift over the next 30 years.
“From lab-grown meat to vertical farming, the future of food is set to revolutionise how we eat,” said Bob Doherty, Director of FixOurFood and Dean of the School for Business and Society at the University of York.
UK-based Ivy Farm, positioning itself as “leading the UK’s cultivated meat revolution”, anticipates upcoming regulatory approval in the UK and expects its cultivated sausage meat to be available to consumers by the beginning of next year. This May, the Oxford company signed a manufacturing agreement to produce its cultivated meat products at an “unprecedented” scale in Finland.
With Labour now in office, Ivy Farm CEO Rich Dillon here focuses on what cultivated meat and the wider biotech industry needs to see from the new UK leadership.
What does the alternative proteins sector need from the Labour government?
By Rich Dillon, CEO at Ivy Farm
A new government heralds an exciting time for any industry. In Labour we have a progressive government, which we hope is intent to not only continue the work of the previous government in supporting the alternative protein sector, but one which can supercharge its growth too.
Important figures are already campaigning for Labour to put the Food Strategy Review, led by Henry Dimblebey, back on the table and into action. As part of this strategy, it was made clear the important role unleashing the potential of soilless farming can bring to the country, and the role cultivated meat and alternative proteins can play in creating a healthy food system, which is better for the environment, economy and our food security.
The cultivated meat opportunity
Since Brexit, we’ve had the regulatory freedom to introduce novel foods to the market quicker than the EU. The new UK government needs to grasp this opportunity before it misses out, otherwise we risk becoming a small-scale country that provides the academic talent, but misses out on retaining the economic opportunity.
The US, Israel and Singapore have regulatory approval for cultivated meat as safe for consumption. Finland and South Korea are planning manufacturing facilities for food-tech startups to mitigate scaling challenges and costs. If we want to maintain global competitiveness and build our economy, the UK must follow suit.
“We have the technology and the talent. Now, we need the infrastructure to turn this vision into reality”
An Oxford Economics report showed how supporting and establishing a cultivated meat industry in the UK could add £2.1 billion to the country’s economy, creating more than 16,500 jobs and 8,300 highly skilled roles by 2030.
Reaching net zero and bolstering food security
The UK is leading the race with the clean energy transition, and now it must turn its head towards the food industry, which has long been a blind spot in taking climate action. Thankfully for the new government, the UK already has a world-leading agricultural system, with the most progressive farming regulation in the world in the Future Farming programme, which is providing a strong conceptual framework to build on. But we’ll only be able to keep feeding meat to consumers sustainably if we can introduce cultivated meat as part of sustainable agriculture.
Cultivated meat, once scaled and available to consumers, can reduce carbon emissions of meat by up to 92%, land use by up to 90%, and use 66% less fresh water compared to industrial beef farming.
Creating cultivated meat in the UK would mean that less ‘industrially farmed’ meat will need to be imported from abroad, boosting our food security and slashing our carbon footprint. The UK imports around £7.7bn of meat per annum, most of which comes from countries with lower animal welfare practices and a higher environmental impact. Tackling that carbon footprint will be integral to nations and brands that have ambitious net zero targets.
Infrastructure and support
Foreign governments are funding manufacturing facilities for food-tech startups to help them overcome scaling challenges and costs, but most importantly they are creating space for innovation in food. They are finding more ways to feed growing populations and mitigate imports. This retains talent from top-tier academia and builds food security.
The UK must follow suit. With £2 billion already allocated for biotechnology industries, part of this funding should be directed towards developing a new bio-manufacturing facility in the UK. This can help scale alt-protein companies like Ivy Farm and position the UK as a food tech superpower.
We have the technology and the talent. Now, we need the infrastructure to turn this vision into reality. The new UK government must act decisively to support sustainable food systems and secure our environmental and economic future.
