Developed through the FSA and FSS Cell-Cultivated Products Sandbox Programme, the guidance brings together export requirements from across government into a single process map for businesses.
These include requirements from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and Defra.
The regulators aim to set out the practical steps companies intending to export lab-grown meat products will need to consider. These range from checking destination country eligibility and confirming GB establishment requirements to obtaining export health certification, making customs declarations and managing cold chains, labelling and documentation.
The FSA points out that market access, and a business’s ability to export to any given country, depends on that country’s laws and import conditions, as well as decisions made by its competent authorities.
As such, the guidance is intended to help new businesses and start-ups better understand the export process. However, it does not guarantee market access or replace existing export procedures.
Dr Thomas Vincent, deputy director of the Sandbox and Innovation at the Food Standards Agency, 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.”
The regulator added that the guidance represents the latest output from the Cell-Cultivated Products Sandbox Programme, which is designed to support the government’s growth agenda by helping innovative food businesses understand regulatory requirements while maintaining the FSA and FSS’s role in protecting consumers.
