The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) is considering accelerating the approval process for lab-grown foods, meaning that lab-grown meat, dairy products, and sugars for human consumption could appear on the UK market for the first time within the next two years, sooner than expected. This accelerated timeline reflects a growing interest in these innovative food technologies.
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03-10, 2025These products are produced in small-scale chemical production facilities using cell culture technology. UK companies are at the forefront of technological research and development in this area but believe that current regulations are limiting their growth. Last month, the UK began selling pet food made from meat grown in factory culture tanks for the first time, signaling a shift in acceptance.
The FSA plans to collaborate with high-tech food companies and academic researchers to develop new regulatory guidelines. Their goal is to complete a comprehensive safety assessment of two lab-grown foods within the two-year timeframe. However, critics point out that involving relevant companies in the formulation of new rules presents a conflict of interest, potentially compromising the objectivity of the process.
The FSA has taken this step because UK companies are concerned about falling behind overseas competitors in terms of approval speed. Singapore became the first country to approve the sale of cultured meat in 2020, with the United States and Israel following suit three years later and last year, respectively. Meanwhile, Italy, as well as the US states of Alabama and Florida, have enacted bans, highlighting the diverse global regulatory landscape.
Professor Robin May, the FSA's chief scientific advisor, told the BBC that there would be no compromise on consumer safety. "We are working closely with relevant companies and academic groups to co-design a regulatory framework that works for them, but we will ensure at all costs that the safety of these products remains at the highest possible level," he said, emphasizing the commitment to rigorous safety standards.
But critics like Pat Thomas, director of Beyond GM, are not convinced. "The companies helping the FSA to develop these regulations are the most likely to benefit from deregulation, and if this were any other type of food, we would be outraged by this," she said, raising concerns about potential bias in the regulatory process.
Lord Vallance, the Science Minister, disagreed with describing the process as "deregulation." "This is not deregulation, it is regulation that enables innovation," he told BBC News. "That is an important distinction because we are trying to align regulation with the needs of innovation and reduce some of the bureaucracy and duplication," emphasizing the government's commitment to fostering innovation through streamlined regulations.
Lab-grown foods are plant or animal tissues grown from tiny cells. Sometimes, this may involve genetic editing to adjust the properties of the food. The claimed benefits include being more environmentally friendly and potentially healthier. The government hopes that lab-grown food companies will thrive, as it expects these companies to create new jobs and economic growth, thus boosting the national economy.
Ivy Farm Technologies in Oxford is ready to produce lab-grown steaks made from cells of Wagyu and Aberdeen Angus cattle. The company applied for approval to sell its steaks to restaurants early last year. Dr. Harsh Amin, CEO of Ivy Farm, explained that waiting two years is too long. "If we can reduce the time to less than a year while maintaining the highest UK food safety standards, that would help startups like us thrive," he stated, emphasizing the need for a faster approval process.
Dr. Alicia Graham has had a similar experience. Working at the Bezos Centre at Imperial College London, she has found a way to grow sugar alternatives. The method involves introducing a gene found in berries into yeast. This process allows her to produce large quantities of crystals that make it taste sweet. She says it won't make you fat, so it's a potential healthy alternative to sweeteners and sodas, offering a promising solution for health-conscious consumers.
Reporters were allowed to taste the sugar. It was very sweet, slightly sour and fruity, reminiscent of lemon sorbet. But Graham's company, MadeSweetly, is not allowed to sell it until it is approved. "The routes to approval are not straightforward," she told reporters. "These are all new technologies, and regulators are not easily keeping up. But it means we don't have a clear product approval pathway, which is what we want," highlighting the challenges faced by innovative food companies.
The FSA says it will complete a full safety assessment of two lab-grown foods within the next two years and begin building a new, faster, and better application system for lab-grown food approvals. Professor May said the aim of working with experts from relevant companies and academics is to ensure the science is correct. "This can be very complex, and the key is that we must understand the science to ensure that food is safe before it is authorized," reaffirming the commitment to scientific rigor and safety.
But Ms. Thomas said that these high-tech foods may not be as environmentally friendly as they are advertised because they require energy to produce, and in some cases, their health benefits are over-hyped. "Lab-grown foods are ultimately ultra-processed foods, and we are in an era of trying to get people to eat fewer ultra-processed foods because they have health implications," she said. "It is worth noting that these ultra-processed foods have never been in the human diet before," raising concerns about the potential long-term health effects of these novel foods.
