UK's Food Standards Agency launches support service to guide cell-cultivated food businesses through UK approval process

The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA), in collaboration with Food Standards Scotland (FSS), has launched a new pilot support service aimed at helping food businesses navigate the regulatory process for cell-cultivated products. The initiative, announced on 24 June, comes as the country braces for a rise in applications from companies developing innovative food products such as chicken fillets and beef burgers grown directly from animal cells.

The service is designed to support businesses in understanding and complying with the legal and scientific requirements necessary to secure authorization to sell their products in the UK market. According to the FSA, the goal is to strike a balance between enabling innovation in the food sector and ensuring consumer safety.

“The FSA’s role is to make sure all foods are safe before they are sold in the UK,” commented Thomas Vincent, Deputy Director of Sandbox and Innovation at the FSA. “As cell-cultivated products are now being developed in new and innovative ways, it’s vital they continue to meet our high safety standards. This new service will help businesses understand what is needed to prove their products are safe, and guide them through the authorisation process. By making it easier for companies to get things right from the start, we can support growth in the cell-cultivated product sector while giving consumers a wider choice of safe food.”

The pilot scheme will allow prospective applicants to engage directly with regulatory experts at the FSA and FSS before submitting formal applications. This early engagement is intended to clarify critical elements such as data collection methodologies, hazard identification, and compliance with the UK’s safety standards. Importantly, the service will also offer continued guidance after submission, particularly in helping applicants respond to Requests for Information (RFIs), which are issued when additional data or clarification is required to complete a risk assessment.

Cell-cultivated foods – sometimes erroneously referred to as 'lab-grown meat' – are produced by cultivating animal cells in controlled environments rather than raising and slaughtering animals. These products are still at the early stages of commercialization worldwide but have gained attention for their potential to reduce the environmental footprint of meat production and address animal welfare concerns.

So far, the FSA and FSS have received only a small number of applications involving cultivated meat, but that is expected to change. The agencies anticipate a growing volume of submissions in the coming years as the alternative protein sector expands and more companies target the UK as a launch market.

The FSA sees the support service as a critical tool to manage this growth effectively. By identifying common challenges early on and helping companies better prepare their dossiers, the agency hopes to reduce delays and improve the quality of applications.

In addition to helping companies meet existing requirements, the service will enable regulators to keep pace with emerging technologies in the field. “Throughout the process, the FSA and FSS will collect information on emerging cell-cultivated technologies,” the agency said. “This gathering of evidence will mean we can provide a more informed, streamlined authorisation process, ensuring the safety of such products before they are marketed.”

While the pilot service is currently focused on cell-cultivated foods, there are plans to expand it to cover precision-fermented products as well. Precision fermentation, which uses microorganisms to produce specific proteins and other food ingredients, is increasingly being used to create animal-free versions of dairy proteins, egg whites, and enzymes such as rennet used in cheesemaking.

Further details about the support service – including how to submit a Pre-Submission Enquiry Form (PSEF), the types of guidance available, and advice on compiling a regulatory dossier – are available on the FSA’s official website.

By offering structured guidance to innovative food companies, the FSA and FSS hope to make the UK a more welcoming environment for safe, science-backed innovation while maintaining public confidence in the food system.