“World first” guidance issued on cell-cultivated meat

Guidance ensures companies assess potential allergenic risks of cell-cultivated products and that they are “nutritionally appropriate” before sale

Guidance on cell-cultivated products – and specifically foods grown from cells isolated from animals – has been released by The Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS).

The guidance suggests that although products should be considered ‘of animal origin’, different safety controls from traditional meat products are required as they do not satisfy the legal definition of meat for hygiene purposes.

Currently, no cell-cultivated food products are authorised for sale in the UK, although one company (Meatly) has approval to sell lab-grown chicken to petfood manufacturers.

The guidance follows a two-year consultation ‘sandbox’ with businesses and researchers. Industry participants include UK-based Hoxton Farms and Roslin Technologies alongside producers from The Netherlands, USA, France and Australia. 

Producers must follow existing food‑safety regulations and demonstrate that allergens, nutrition and safety have been fully assessed before products reach the public. Any environmental health practitioner inspecting new food tech startups must apply standard food safety laws, rather than slaughterhouse-specific regulations.

Dr Thomas Vincent, Deputy Director of Innovation at the FSA, said: “Our guidance provides clarity, helping businesses to understand and correctly demonstrate to UK food regulators how their products are safe.

“Specifically, this guidance ensures that companies have assessed potential allergenic risks and that they are nutritionally appropriate before they can be authorised for sale.”

Vincent added that the FSA’s sandbox method — a two-year UK program for cell-cultivated food products allowing regulators and businesses to collaborate in a controlled environment — enables the fast-tracking of regulatory knowledge “to reduce barriers for emerging food technologies without compromising on safety standards.” 

"The sandbox is a cutting-edge approach, and the guidance provides producers with clear and specific advice on the scientific and regulatory requirements.” 

Seth Roberts, Senior Policy Manager at the Good Food Institute Europe, welcomed the guidance. He said: "The sandbox is a cutting-edge approach, and the guidance provides producers with clear and specific advice on the scientific and regulatory requirements.

“The level of detail in this guidance is a world first and will help to bridge the knowledge gap between regulators and the cultivated meat industry, leading to a clearer and more efficient regulatory path to market.” 

Marianne Ellis, Professor of BioProcess and Tissue Engineering at the University of Bath, agreed. She said: “The guidance pages and documents are easy to navigate and provide clear, practical information to those who need it.

“It provides a single point of information for product-focused companies to use as a starting point, and for other stakeholders to understand better what is expected, and how cell-cultivated products fit within the existing food systems as covered by the FSA/FSS.”

Dr Atenchong Talleh Nkobou, Programme Manager for the MSc in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security at Royal Agricultural University (RAU), said that the FSA has also been working closely with researchers from the RAU’s Cellular Agriculture Manufacturing Hub (CARMA).

“CARMA researchers engage with members of the UK public, allowing the FSA to gather views on public health and safety, environmental impact, transparency, fairness and clear labelling. 

“People want honest communication, labelling and regulations that helps them understand what they are buying and now these novel products may affect their everyday interactions with food.

“As the UK shapes the future of cell-cultivated foods, it is vital that the FSA continues to involve not only industry, but environmental groups, experts and everyday citizens in designing a robust regulatory framework.”