Cultivated Meat Could Land on UK Plates in 2027, Suggests Govt Food Regulator

Brits could be eating cultivated meat as soon as next year, with the Food Standards Agency hoping to approve two proteins by early 2027 as it releases an outlook on future food innovations.

Cultivated meat has never been closer to British dinner tables.

The UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) has overhauled its regulatory framework for these proteins after years of complaints over its protracted approval process, which was tied to the EU’s novel food system even after Brexit.

The regulator is currently evaluating four cultivated meat applications from Aleph Farms, Ivy Farm Technologies, Vital Meat and Gourmey (both owned by Parima), with the latter being the furthest along in the process.

According to the Times, the FSA is hoping to complete safety evaluations for cultivated meat by February 2027, which will then be subject to ministerial approval before being put on restaurant menus and supermarket shelves. This would mark the first time these proteins would be sold for human food in the UK. London-based Meatly has already commercialised its cultivated dog food.

The FSA’s comments came after it published a report on innovative food technologies most likely to enter the UK market over the next decade. The agency cited climate risks, supply chain and price shocks, and import dependencies as the drivers of these innovations, which could support year-round production of proteins, fats and functional ingredients in controlled, climate-resilient environments.

The regulator classes these technologies into three tiers, based on their potential impact on the UK food system, their feasibility for safe adoption, and the regulatory preparedness required. Realising their benefits, it said, depends on clear, predictable pathways to approval, sufficient pilot-scale capacity, and early regulatory engagement.

“The food system is always evolving, and as a regulator, we need to keep pace with that and keep pace with the industry so that we can help ensure that new products are safe,” said Thomas Vincent, deputy director of innovation at the FSA, which co-published the report with Food Standards Scotland (FSS).

Tier 1: 0-5 years

The first tier concerns technologies either already authorised on the domestic market, nearing approval, or generating active early engagement.

Cultivated meat fits into this category. The FSA said this technology “has the potential to change protein supply chains”, but it still suffers from “consumer scepticism” over product safety, taste, texture and price. This is compounded by “issues around scalability”, such as the cost and availability of inputs and other engineering and operational challenges.

That said, emerging innovations show strong potential for cultured meat to overcome these barriers. Research into animal-component-free growth media is looking to significantly lower costs, advances in cell line engineering can improve growth capacity, and new bioprocess approaches could increase yields with fewer resource needs.

“Alongside these developments, increasing automation and digitalisation, including AI‑enabled growth media development, monitoring, and enhanced quality assurance technologies, are expected to improve consistency and support commercially scalable production,” the FSA said.

“Together, these innovations signal a sector that is rapidly maturing scientifically and technologically,” it added. Its 2025 research found that up to 41% of Brits are willing to try these proteins, outlining the potential for this sector.

Precision fermentation, which 46% of consumers are open to trying, is a well-established tier-one technology with proven scale (think insulin or rennet). It’s being extended to functional food ingredients like animal-free proteins. These foods also need pre-market authorisation, and face hurdles like cost reduction during scale-up, achieving consistent quality, and generating comprehensive safety specifications.

Biomass fermentation is usually non-novel, and is applied to foods already widely available in the UK, such as Quorn’s mycoprotein. More innovative uses are emerging, including new fungal, bacterial and microalgal ingredients, and their challenges include cost-effective scale-up, maintaining sensory quality, and managing food safety considerations.

The FSA also named controlled environment agriculture (including vertical farming) – which 63% of Brits are willing to try – and insect protein in the first tier, though the latter’s future is dependent on “authorisation outcomes and public perceptions”.

Tier 2: 5-10 years

Tier-two technologies include those developing quickly but need further research, scale-up, and understanding of the regulatory route. They present significant long-term potential for the national food system.

Molecular farming, which uses plants or plant cells as tiny factories to produce proteins and other ingredients, could broaden the UK’s ingredient options. But the regulatory rules can be complex because the applicable route depends on both the ingredient and the production method, and different regimes look at different parts of the same product.

Gas fermentation is another tech that could come to the UK in the early 2030s, using microbes to convert captured greenhouse gases into proteins and more. These ingredients could support a circular economy, help with net-zero goals, and provide a domestic, year-round supply that doesn’t rely solely on farmland or fishing.

Oleogelation, meanwhile, is a form of liquid oil structuring to achieve the functional properties of hard fats and support saturated fat reduction in baked goods, confectionery, and meat alternatives.

And then there are marine-based oils, fibres, and proteins derived from algae and seaweed. Many of these are recognised as non-novel, and can aid sustainability and functional nutrition in food and supplement products.

Tier 3: 10+ years

The final tier of the FSA’s food innovations list comprises early-stage technologies that while are unlikely to be widely available over the next decade, are important to monitor.

3D printing, despite being one of the better-known food technologies, is part of this group. In the UK, it’s likely to be smaller-scale and specialist due to high costs and consistency issues. 3D-printed foods offer personalised nutrition and waste reduction, however, they face hygiene risks and low consumer acceptance.

Then there’s reverse food manufacturing, which involves taking nutrients out of food byproducts and turning them into new ingredients. These technologies are largely at pilot or concept stage, and will need to demonstrate safety and supply chain integrity to scale up successfully.

Finally, the report namechecks new-to-nature “designer” proteins made with AI using molecules that don’t exist in nature. The proteins are used to create new sequences with specific properties, like improved gelling, foaming, emulsifying, or nutritional characteristics. Crucially, they’d need to be supported by a strong safety case.

Looking ahead, the FSA recommends the government continue to keep regulatory pathways easy to navigate, focus on recurring evidence needs that cut across multiple technologies, track international scientific best practices, and encourage early engagement from innovators to boost regulatory clarity.

“Emerging technologies are reshaping how our food is produced and sourced. This report gives industry and government clear sight of what is coming, and what is required to ensure these products meet the UK’s high standards,” said Vincent.

“The FSA and FSS’s remit is central to delivering these ambitions and by working early with innovators, we can support safe, responsible growth and build consumer confidence in the foods of the future.”