GOURMEY first cultivated meat company to reach UK regulatory validation, but approval still ahead

French cell-cultivated meat startup, GOURMEY, has become the first company of its kind to have a novel food application validated in Great Britain by both the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS), marking an important step toward potential market entry – but not yet regulatory approval.

The validation signals that GOURMEY’s application is considered complete enough to move forward into a detailed scientific risk assessment. However, the company emphasized that this does not yet authorize the sale of its products in the UK.

“We are proud to announce that GOURMEY is the world’s first cell-cultivated meat company to have its application validated in Great Britain by the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland, officially marking the start of our regulatory assessment process,” commented Nicolas Morin-Forest, Co-founder & CEO of GOURMEY, in a statement shared on social media.

This milestone builds on GOURMEY’s earlier regulatory progress in Europe. The company has already secured validation of its dossiers with the European Commission and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), as well as in Switzerland through the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO).

Morin-Forest described the UK validation as a critical moment in the company’s regulatory journey but was careful to note that the process is far from over. “Great Britain’s validation marks a critical step in our novel food regulatory journey and confirms that we are now progressing to full risk assessment, bringing us one step closer to making our products available to consumers in Great Britain,” he said.

Earlier this year, GOURMEY was selected to join the UK’s pioneering regulatory Sandbox for cell-cultivated products, an initiative backed by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. The program is designed to accelerate scientific evidence gathering and regulatory innovation in partnership with leading scientists, regulators, and industry stakeholders.

“This milestone follows GOURMEY’s selection to join the UK’s pioneering regulatory Sandbox for cell-cultivated products earlier this year,” Morin-Forest said, adding that the collaboration with regulators and scientists has been instrumental in clarifying the data requirements for the application process.

Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Paris, GOURMEY focuses on producing cultivated poultry, including its flagship cultivated foie gras. The company grows animal cells in bioreactors to create real animal meat without the need to raise and slaughter animals. GOURMEY’s cultivated foie gras has been presented as a sustainable and ethical alternative to the traditional delicacy, which has faced criticism over animal welfare practices such as force-feeding.

GOURMEY’s regulatory strategy reflects a broader ambition to launch its products across key markets in Europe and beyond. Novel food regulations require companies developing cultivated meat to submit detailed dossiers covering production methods, product composition, and rigorous safety data.

Validation of an application indicates that regulators have confirmed the dossier includes sufficient information to proceed with a scientific risk assessment. However, it does not imply that the product has been evaluated for safety or that it has received authorization for sale.

In the UK, cultivated meat falls under the scope of novel food legislation, which mandates a thorough assessment process before any market approval is granted. The FSA and FSS will now undertake a scientific evaluation of GOURMEY’s application to determine whether the company’s cultivated poultry products meet safety requirements and can be sold to consumers.

GOURMEY’s progress comes at a time when interest in alternative proteins is rising sharply, driven by environmental concerns, animal welfare considerations, and food security challenges. Cultivated meat proponents argue that producing meat from animal cells instead of live animals can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and water consumption associated with traditional animal agriculture.

However, significant technical and commercial hurdles remain for the cultivated meat industry. Beyond regulatory approvals, companies must demonstrate the ability to produce at scale and to price their products competitively with conventional meat.

The UK government has signaled strong interest in fostering innovation in the alternative protein space. Officials have described cultivated meat as a potential growth sector for the economy, highlighting its promise for sustainable food production and technological leadership. Initiatives such as the regulatory Sandbox aim to streamline the path from scientific development to market availability.

Despite these supportive signals, experts caution that regulatory approval timelines can still be lengthy, depending on the complexity of the product and the data required. GOURMEY’s achievement of dossier validation puts it ahead of many other companies vying for entry into the UK market but does not guarantee eventual approval.

“We’re excited to continue working closely with the UK FSA, FSS, and our partners to ensure the highest standards of safety and transparency ahead of commercialisation,” Morin-Forest said.

For now, GOURMEY’s validation in Great Britain stands as a notable milestone in the company’s regulatory journey, bringing it one step closer—but not yet all the way—to introducing its cultivated poultry products to UK consumers.