The Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) have jointly released a new cross-government export roadmap designed to help innovative food businesses understand and navigate the export process for cell-cultivated products.

Developed as the latest output from the Cell-Cultivated Products Sandbox Programme, the guidance aims to support the government’s growth agenda by clarifying regulatory pathways while upholding rigorous safety standards to protect consumers.

Navigating the cross-government export process

As the international market for alternative proteins and cell-cultivated food continues to expand, emerging food companies have increasingly flagged cross-government export procedures as a critical priority. The new roadmap outlines the multi-step journey required to move cell-cultivated products of animal origin (POAO) from Great Britain to non-European Union markets.

The structured process map guides businesses through key compliance milestones:

• Market access & eligibility: verifying destination country eligibility, import conditions, and whether local laws permit the sale and import of cell-cultivated goods.
• Establishment & product compliance: confirming that production facilities and products meet specific sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) requirements, alongside necessary novel food or marketing authorisations.
• Certification & transport: navigating Export Health Certificates (EHCs), customs declarations via the Customs Declaration System (CDS), strict temperature controls to maintain the cold chain, and compliant packaging and labelling.

Balancing innovation with consumer protection

Dr Thomas Vincent, deputy director of the Sandbox and Innovation at the FSA, noted that the initiative directly addresses industry feedback by providing clarity on international trade pathways.

“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,” said Dr Vincent. “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 regulators stress that while the roadmap makes the procedural framework more accessible for start-ups and established producers alike, market access ultimately depends on the specific import legislation, decisions, and competent authorities of each destination country.

Food businesses and developers can access the complete export roadmap and additional resources through the FSA’s Innovative Foods Guidance Hub.