UK: FSA launches pioneering regulatory programme for cell-cultivated products
The sandbox programme, funded by the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology’s Engineering Biology Sandbox Fund, will make sure Cell-Cultivated Products (CCPs) are safe for consumers before they’re sold, whilst supporting innovation in the sector.
A team of scientists and regulatory experts will now begin work on the two-year programme, collaborating with academic bodies, the CCP industry and trade organisations. Their aim is to gather rigorous scientific evidence about CCPs and how they are made, to inform how the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Foods Standards Scotland (FSS) regulate these products.
The evidence will enable the FSA to assess CCP applications more efficiently and make sure they are safe before they can be sold to consumers. The FSA will provide clearer guidance to businesses, and address questions that must be answered before any CCPs can enter the market. Through the programme, the FSA is committed to completing the full safety assessment of two CCPs within the next two years.
The FSA announced the eight CCP companies who have been selected to participate in the programme. The participants were chosen through a rigorous selection process to represent the diverse, international range of technologies, processes, and ingredients used in CCP production.