The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has started work on assessing the safety of lab-grown meat but only a minority of consumers seem to be willing to consume it. A team of scientists and regulatory experts will work on the two-year program with academic bodies, the industry and trade organizations. In 2024, the FSA and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) were awarded £1.
6 million ($2.1 million) to launch a program for cell-cultivated products. The aim is to gather scientific evidence about cell-based products and how they are made, to help the agencies regulate these products.
While “cell-based,” “cultivated” and “cultured” are preferred terminologies, other terms such as “in vitro,” “artificial,” “fake,” “clean” and “lab-grown” have been used. Cell-based products are made without slaughter or traditional farming methods. Cells from plants or animals are grown in a controlled environment to make a food product.
“By prioritizing consumer safety and making sure new foods, like cell-based products are safe, we can support growth in innovative sectors. Our aim is to ultimately provide consumers with a wider choice of new food, while maintaining the highest safety standards,” said Professor Robin May, FSA chief scientific advisor. Businesses participating in the program are Hoxton Farms, Roslin Technologies, and Uncommon Bio from the UK and BlueNalu from the United States.
Gourmey and Vital Meat are both from France while Mosa Meat is from the Netherland.
