Lab-grown meat, dairy, and sugar could be available for human consumption in the United Kingdom within two years, as the Food Standards Agency (FSA) accelerates its approval process.
The initiative comes in response to concerns that UK-based high-tech food firms are falling behind international competitors due to lengthy regulatory procedures.
The FSA’s chief scientist, Professor Robin May, emphasized that consumer safety remains the top priority.
“We are working very closely with the companies involved and academic groups to design a regulatory structure that is good for them but, at all costs, ensures the safety of these products remains as high as it possibly can,” May told the BBC.
Lab-grown foods are created from cells cultivated in fermentation tanks and processed to resemble conventional food products.
While proponents argue that these innovations are environmentally friendly and healthier, critics caution that they may not be as beneficial as claimed.
Pat Thomas, director of the campaign group Beyond GM, voiced concerns over the FSA’s collaboration with lab-grown food firms.
“The companies involved in helping the FSA to draw up these regulations are the ones most likely to benefit from deregulation,” Thomas argued.
The UK government is keen to see the sector thrive, citing potential job creation and economic growth. Science Minister Lord Vallance dismissed claims that the FSA’s plan represents deregulation. “It is not deregulation; it is pro-innovation regulation,” he insisted.
The objective, according to Vallance, is to streamline the approval process by eliminating bureaucratic hurdles while maintaining rigorous safety standards.
The UK has been slower than countries like Singapore, the United States, and Israel, which have already approved lab-grown meat for sale.
In 2020, Singapore became the first country to authorize the sale of cell-cultivated meat, followed by the United States and Israel in subsequent years. Meanwhile, Italy and the US states of Alabama and Florida have imposed bans on lab-grown foods.
UK-based Ivy Farm Technologies, which has developed lab-grown steaks from Wagyu and Aberdeen Angus cells, submitted an application for approval early last year. CEO Dr. Harsh Amin expressed frustration with the current system.
“If we can shorten that to less than a year, while maintaining the very highest of Britain’s food safety standards, that would help start-up companies like ours to thrive,” Amin said.
Similarly, Dr. Alicia Graham of Imperial College’s Bezos Centre in London has developed a lab-grown sugar alternative using a gene found in berries.
The product, described as intensely sweet with a hint of sourness, cannot be sold until it passes regulatory approval.
Dr. Graham criticized the existing system as complex and unclear. “They are all new technologies, which are not easy for the regulator to keep up with,” she explained.
Despite the optimism, critics warn that lab-grown foods, which are considered ultra-processed, may not align with current health trends encouraging the reduction of processed foods.
They also argue that the energy required to produce these foods could offset the purported environmental benefits.
The FSA plans to complete a full safety assessment of two lab-grown products within the next two years. In the meantime, the debate continues over whether these futuristic foods represent a sustainable solution or a step in the wrong direction.
