Lab-grown meat could be on sale in the UK within the next few years, as the government funds £1.6 million for research into cell-cultivated products. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has been awarded the funding and will launch a program to delve deeper into lab-grown meat and its safety for consumption.
Cell-cultivated products are created using cells from plants or animals grown in a controlled environment to produce food items. While often referred to as ‘lab-grown meat,’ they are not officially classified as meat, but as products of animal origin. The FSA’s cell-cultivated products program in collaboration with Food Standards Scotland will span two years and could open doors for these controversial meat alternatives to hit the UK market.
Professor Robin May, FSA Chief Scientific Advisor, stresses the importance of ensuring consumers can trust the safety of new foods. He believes that the program will facilitate safe innovation and keep up with technological advancements in the food industry to provide consumers with a wider array of safe food choices.
The development of cell-cultivated products dates back to the early 2000s, with the unveiling of the world’s first lab-grown burger in London in 2013, followed by the creation of several companies dedicated to making lab-grown meat more accessible. However, the approval of such products remains limited globally, with Singapore being the only country thus far to allow the sale of lab-grown meat to consumers.
In the United States, the Department of Agriculture recently approved products by Upside Foods, which utilize muscle, fat, and tissue cells from fertilized chicken eggs to produce chicken meat replicas. This move signifies progress in the acceptance of lab-grown meat, albeit at a slow pace internationally.
While challenges may lie ahead in the UK and Europe for lab-grown meat products, some optimists believe that these artificial foods could spearhead a revolution in sustainable food consumption. Linus Pardoe, Senior UK Policy Manager at the Good Food Institute Europe, sees the government’s investment in cultivated meat research as a positive step towards leveraging safety regulations and potentially enhancing food security, economic growth, and climate change mitigation efforts.