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The Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) have published guidance to help cell-based food companies navigate the process of exporting cell-cultivated products from Great Britain to non-EU countries.
The guidance highlights how cell-based foods – foods made from animal cells, such as cultivated meat – are considered Products of Animal Origin (POAO) for regulatory purposes.
It aims to provide the necessary information businesses need to export these products to regions outside of the EU, as these products do not currently benefit from internationally recognised sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) classifications or established export certification arrangements.
Practical steps companies will need to take, outlined in the roadmap, include:
Checking the destination country’s eligibility and market access
Confirming that your production establishment complies with GB food law requirements and any requirements imposed by the destination country
Confirming product eligibility and SPS certification requirements
Checking if you need an export health certification
Submitting a customs declaration
Maintaining temperature controls during transport
Ensuring labelling and packaging compliance
Preparing a documentation package and ensuring traceability
Ensuring dispatch and destination compliance once the consignment leaves Great Britain
Companies exporting cell-based foods are responsible for checking product authorisation requirements in the destination country, such as what type of food marketing authorisation, novel food approval, GMO approval (if applicable), taste-trial approval or equivalent they may need.
The guidance was developed through the FSA and FSS Cell-Cultivated Products Sandbox Programme. It brings together export requirements from across government, including HM Revenue and Customs, the Animal and Plant Health Agency, the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade and Defra.
Thomas Vincent, deputy director of the Sandbox and Innovation at the FSA, said: “Businesses have told us that understanding the cross-government export process was a priority, so we have worked across government to explain the path to export cell-cultivated products from GB to non-EU markets. The market for cell-cultivated food is growing internationally, so this guidance will help companies understand what they need to do to access new markets and grow their businesses.”
While the guidance aims to make it easier for new businesses and start-ups to understand the process involved, the FSA emphasised that it will not guarantee market access will be achieved, with market access to any given country depending on the laws and import conditions of that jurisdiction.
The full guidance can be accessed via the FSA and FSS website.
