The Food Standards Agency (FSA), in partnership with Food Standards Scotland (FSS), has published four new pieces of guidance to help businesses developing and producing cell-cultivated products – sometimes known as ‘lab-grown meat’ - and other novel foods navigate the regulatory requirements needed to bring safe, innovative products to market.
The guidance, produced through the Cell-Cultivated Products Sandbox Programme, is the second batch of publications from the Department of Science and Technology (DSIT)-funded initiative, which runs until February 2027. The Sandbox complements the market authorisation process by bringing together the regulators and industry to develop a shared understanding of how food regulations apply to cell-cultivated products. These are new foods that don’t involve conventional farming such as rearing livestock or growing plants and grains, they are made by taking cells from plants or animals, which are then grown into food. The sandbox programme focusses on animal cells only.
The documents published today are
Food business hygiene requirements for cell-cultivated products guidance on applying General Food Law and Hygiene Regulations to the production of cell-cultivated products.
Supplementary guidance on identity, production and microbiology detailed scientific requirements for evaluating cell-cultivated products when applying for market authorisation as novel foods in Great Britain, covering how to characterise cell lines, describe production processes and manage microbiological hazards.
Improving your cell-cultivated product application practical recommendations to help businesses prepare stronger, more complete applications for market authorisation, addressing the most common reasons applications face delays or requests for further information.
Novel food taste trials supplementary information additional guidance helping businesses understand their responsibilities when conducting taste trials of novel foods, including cell-cultivated products, as part of research and development activity. This supports guidance published in 2025 on taste trials for novel foods.
The guidance is designed to give businesses the regulatory clarity they need to invest in and develop innovative food products with confidence, while ensuring that consumer safety remains the cornerstone of any route to market.
Dr Thomas Vincent, Deputy Director of Innovation, Food Standards Agency, said
Cell-cultivated products represent a genuinely new frontier for the food industry, and we want businesses to have the clearest possible picture of what is required to bring safe products to market. This guidance reflects the knowledge we have built through engagement with industry and academia through the Sandbox, and is designed to make the path to authorisation more transparent and efficient. Consumer safety is non-negotiable, and these documents are ultimately about reducing barriers for emerging food technologies without compromising on safety standards.
Professor Susan Jebb, FSA Chair, said
Developments in the innovative food sector can support a healthier and more resilient food system while also contributing to the UK government’s ambitions for a growing, modern economy. But that potential will only be realised if businesses have the regulatory clarity to invest and the confidence to scale-up. This guidance provides practical support that helps innovative companies move forward, backed by a science-led approach that protects public health.
The Sandbox Programme also offers a Business Support Service, available to companies developing cell-cultivated products until February 2027, providing direct engagement with FSA and FSS regulatory experts.
More information and guidance for businesses on cell-cultivated products can be found in our Innovative Food Guidance Hub.
