Food safety bosses looking to prove the safety of lab-grown meat have revealed the names of eight companies that will pioneer research in its new £1.6m ‘sandbox’ programme.
The FSA said teams of scientists and regulatory experts would begin work on the two-year programme to collaborate with the cell-cultivated products (CCP) industry, academic bodies and trade organisations.
Evidence from the sandbox programme will be used to help the FSA to assess applications for an expected flood of new products and ensure they are safe before they can be sold.
The FSA announced in October it had received a £1.6m grant from the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology for the sandbox programme. It expects an avalanche of applications for new products that could make the UK a world leader in lab-grown meat.
Among the successful applicants are three UK companies: Hoxton Farms, Roslin Technologies and Uncommon Bio.
Hoxton Farms was Launched in 2020 by school friends Ed Steele and Max Jamilly, and has been pioneering technology to grow animal fat without livestock that “look, cook and taste like the real thing”.
Roslin Technologies was launched two years later as a biotech company to produce lab-grown petfood in a joint venture between the London Stock Exchange-listed group and Roslin Technologies, a University of Edinburgh spin-out.
It is connected to Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute, famous for cloning Dolly the sheep.
Other companies among the successful applicants are BlueNalu (US), Mosa Meat (the Netherlands), Gourmey (France), Vital Meat (France) and Vow (Australia).
The FSA said the eight companies had been chosen through a rigorous selection process and represented the diverse, international range of technologies, processes, and ingredients used in CCP production.
It said as well as working with the wider international CCP industry, it would collaborate closely with academic partners including the Cellular Agriculture Manufacturing Hub led by the University of Bath, National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre, and the Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein.
Trade bodies who will represent the broader industry are the Good Food Institute Europe and the Alternative Proteins Association.
“Safe innovation is at the heart of this programme,” said FSA chief scientific advisor Professor Robin May.
“By prioritising consumer safety and making sure new foods like CCPs 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.”
Science minister Patrick Vallance said: “By supporting the safe development of cell-cultivated products, we’re giving businesses the confidence to innovate and accelerating the UK’s position as a global leader in sustainable food production.
“This work will not only help bring new products to market faster, but strengthen consumer trust, supporting our Plan for Change and creating new economic opportunities across the country.”
Mosa Meat co-founder Dr Mark Post said: “We are honoured to be one of the few included in this government funded collaborative programme, and excited to contribute the knowledge of our 70-plus scientists toward a co-learning process that benefits the FSA and other cultivated meat and seafood companies.
“These are exactly the kind of public-private partnerships we envisioned when we debuted the world’s first cultivated burger right here in London in 2013.”
Despite the new appointments, experts have warned that without government backing the UK could still be left behind in the race to develop lab-grown meat.
While ministers have backed the sandbox rollout, plans revealed by The Grocer for a much wider shake-up of the regulatory process for products including lab-grown meat, insect food and CBD have been shelved.
They would have seen the UK work with countries such as Singapore and Australia to allow products approved abroad to come to the UK market, if they had trusted regulatory regimes.
Jim Mellon, executive chairman of agri-tech company Agronomics, warned the sandbox would only prove successful if the speed of the FSA’s regulatory system received a makeover to match the investment.
“It’s great to see the UK making another positive step forward in becoming a leader in the cell-cultivated sector,” he said.
“The country has proven over the last 12 to 15 months that we have the talent and the technology, and the next step to unleash its potential will be expediting and modernising its regulatory process.
“However, the sandbox will only be considered a success if the FSA also receives the support and funding to complete its assessments within faster timelines.
“Without this speed, it risks losing out on creating a competitive homegrown industry which can power low-carbon economic growth, boost food security, and ensure the UK becomes a leader in net zero within the food industry.
“The UK is falling behind in terms of agritech funding, yet houses leading companies in this industry like Meatly and Clean Food Group.
“We’re certain that with a modern and efficient regulatory framework, we could easily match if not surpass rival markets and the reward will be increased food security from a sustainable and durable source.”
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