FSA maps the future of food as fermentation, cultivated meat, and vertical farming edge toward UK plates

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) have published one of the most comprehensive assessments yet of the technologies likely to reshape the UK food system over the coming decade.

Their thematic report, Emerging Food Innovations in the UK, examined how new production methods, ingredients, and food technologies could reach British markets within the next five to 15 years while outlining the regulatory and safety questions they are likely to raise along the way.

• The FSA and FSS identified emerging food technologies expected to influence the UK food system within the next five to 15 years, including fermentation-derived proteins, vertical farming, cellular agriculture, and gas fermentation.
• The report grouped innovations into three tiers based on expected impact and feasibility, from near-term technologies approaching commercialization to longer-term concepts still in research phases.
• Regulators highlighted recurring safety considerations across these technologies, including allergenicity of novel proteins, microbiological risks in controlled systems, and the need for clear traceability, labeling, and consumer communication.

The analysis formed part of the Market Authorisation Innovation Research Programme, funded by the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, which aims to strengthen regulatory preparedness as new food technologies move closer to commercialization.

According to the report, several technologies already approaching industrial scale are expected to generate the most immediate regulatory engagement in Great Britain. These include controlled environment agriculture, precision fermentation, biomass fermentation, and cellular agriculture.

“Emerging technologies are reshaping how our food is produced and sourced,” said Dr Thomas Vincent, Deputy Director of Innovation at the FSA. “This report gives industry and government clear sight of what is coming, and what is required to ensure these products meet the UK’s high standards.”

He added that early collaboration between regulators and innovators will be essential to support safe growth in the sector and maintain consumer confidence.

Among the technologies identified as having high near-term impact is controlled environment agriculture (CEA), including vertical farming. These systems grow crops such as leafy greens indoors under tightly controlled conditions using sensors, recirculated water, and LED lighting to optimize production.

Such facilities can produce crops year-round regardless of weather conditions, potentially improving supply resilience for foods that are typically imported during the winter months.

Studies cited in the report suggested vertically farmed lettuce can achieve strong yields and water savings compared with some field-grown imports. However, the report noted that energy consumption remains a major factor affecting the environmental footprint of vertical farming, particularly when electricity for lighting and climate control is sourced from fossil fuels.

Even so, controlled environment agriculture could contribute to more resilient food systems as climate pressures and urbanization reshape traditional farming models.

Another technology already attracting significant regulatory attention is precision fermentation. This approach uses microorganisms such as yeast, bacteria, or fungi to produce specific target molecules including proteins, fats, and vitamins.

Fermentation has long been used to manufacture enzymes and food ingredients, but recent advances are expanding its use to produce more complex components such as animal-identical dairy proteins and other functional ingredients.

These molecules can replicate properties such as texture, flavor, or emulsification that are important in conventional foods.

Precision fermentation-derived ingredients already appear in certain products on the UK and European markets, including human milk oligosaccharides used in infant formula. Other fermentation-derived ingredients such as rennet have been safely used in food manufacturing for decades.

In Great Britain, however, many newer precision fermentation ingredients require pre-market authorization under the novel foods framework. Applicants must provide detailed evidence on production processes, composition, allergenicity, and toxicology before products can be approved for sale.

The report noted that although the technology is scientifically mature, challenges remain in scaling production, maintaining batch-to-batch consistency, and generating robust safety specifications for regulatory dossiers.

Biomass fermentation represents another category expected to grow in importance. This method grows microorganisms such as fungi or microalgae directly as edible biomass.

Mycoprotein, produced from filamentous fungi, has been sold in the UK for decades, demonstrating that microbial biomass can become a mainstream food ingredient. New facilities and partnerships across Europe are now expanding manufacturing capacity for fermentation-derived protein ingredients.

These foods can provide high levels of protein and fiber while requiring significantly less land and water than conventional livestock production.

However, new strains and fermentation processes must still be assessed to confirm identity, composition, microbiological safety, and absence of contaminants such as mycotoxins.

Cellular agriculture was also identified as an area likely to generate growing regulatory engagement. Cell-cultivated foods are produced by growing animal cells in bioreactors rather than raising livestock.

Supporters argue the technology could eventually reshape global protein supply chains by reducing reliance on animal agriculture. But the report emphasized that large-scale commercialization still faces significant hurdles.

Production costs remain high, and scaling laboratory processes to industrial manufacturing volumes presents complex engineering challenges.

The UK has already begun developing regulatory frameworks for the sector through the FSA and FSS cell-cultivated products sandbox. The initiative allows companies to engage with regulators early in the development process and receive guidance on topics such as hygiene controls, allergenicity, toxicology, and labeling.

Research is also targeting key technical barriers, including the development of serum-free growth media and improved cell lines capable of growing efficiently without expensive inputs.

Even if these challenges are addressed, consumer acceptance will remain a critical factor. Evidence cited in the report suggested that only 16–41% of UK consumers currently say they are willing to try cell-cultivated meat, while 85% report concerns related to safety, perceived unnaturalness, or potential impacts on farming.

Beyond the technologies considered most likely to reach the market soon, the report also identified a second tier of innovations expected to mature later in the decade.

One example is liquid oil structuring, also known as oleogelation. This technique converts liquid vegetable oils into solid fats that behave similarly to butter or animal fat, potentially allowing manufacturers to reduce saturated fat levels while maintaining desirable textures in foods such as bakery products and confectionery.

Another area of interest is molecular farming, which uses genetically engineered plants or plant cells to produce functional food ingredients such as proteins or enzymes.

Researchers believe the approach could complement fermentation technologies by providing an alternative method for producing high-value ingredients.

Gas fermentation was also highlighted as a promising route for producing single-cell proteins. The process uses microorganisms to convert gases such as carbon dioxide or hydrogen into microbial biomass that can be used as a protein source.

Pilot projects in the UK have already demonstrated the technology’s potential to produce microbial protein for animal feed. If adapted for human food, gas fermentation could offer a way to produce protein year-round without relying solely on farmland or fishing.

Companies developing gas fermentation-derived ingredients for food would need to submit safety evidence under the novel foods framework, including detailed descriptions of production organisms, compositional specifications, and contaminant controls.

Edible insects were also included among the emerging categories likely to generate regulatory engagement.

In Great Britain, insects are generally treated as novel foods and require pre-market authorization before they can be sold. Transitional arrangements currently allow some products to remain on the market while applications for specific species are reviewed.

Four insect species have applications under consideration, including yellow mealworms, house crickets, banded crickets, and black soldier flies.

However, the report noted that consumer acceptance may prove a larger barrier than regulation. Surveys cited in the report suggested only around one quarter of UK consumers would currently be willing to eat insects.

Several technologies were categorized as longer-term possibilities that regulators are monitoring through horizon scanning.

These include 3D food printing, which produces foods layer by layer using edible materials. Current applications include personalized nutrition and specialized foods designed for patients with swallowing difficulties.

Reverse food manufacturing represents another experimental concept. The approach aims to recover nutrients from food by-products and transform them into new ingredients, potentially supporting circular economy strategies and reducing waste.

Researchers are also exploring 'new-to-nature' proteins designed using artificial intelligence and computational modeling. These proteins could potentially deliver specific functional properties such as improved foaming or emulsifying behavior in food products.

Because such proteins may not have a history of human consumption, any future use would require detailed safety assessments before authorization.

Across all of these emerging technologies, the report emphasized that many safety considerations are shared rather than unique to individual innovations.

Key cross-cutting themes include allergenicity risks associated with novel proteins, microbiological hazards in controlled or closed production systems, and chemical safety concerns related to materials used in manufacturing equipment.

Traceability and labeling were also highlighted as critical elements for maintaining consumer trust in unfamiliar food categories.

The report concluded that early collaboration between regulators and innovators will be essential to ensure these technologies can be developed responsibly.

For industry, the analysis offers a clearer picture of where regulatory questions are likely to arise and what types of evidence may be required in future applications.

For policymakers, it provides a strategic overview of where regulatory capability and scientific expertise will need to evolve as food innovation accelerates.