FSA and FSS publish export roadmap for cell-cultivated food businesses

The Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland have released joint guidance under the Cell-Cultivated Products Sandbox Programme to streamline export procedures for businesses producing cell-cultivated foods of animal origin. The document consolidates export requirements from HM Revenue and Customs, the Animal and Plant Health Agency, the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, and Defra into a single process map. Companies can now follow a clear sequence of steps covering destination-country eligibility checks, GB establishment requirements, export health certification, customs declarations, cold chain management, labelling and documentation. The guidance is designed to reduce confusion and administrative burden for firms seeking to enter new international markets.

Businesses have identified navigating the cross-government export process as a major hurdle, prompting the regulators to create a unified pathway. The document explains how to verify whether a target country accepts cell-cultivated products and what additional conditions may apply. It also clarifies the roles of different agencies in issuing export health certificates and managing sanitary and phytosanitary controls. By presenting this information in one place, the regulators aim to lower barriers for start-ups and smaller companies entering global supply chains.

The guidance does not itself grant market access; instead, it outlines the procedural route companies must follow before applying to individual countries. Market access remains subject to each nation’s import laws and the decisions of its competent authorities. Companies must still obtain import permits, meet labelling rules and satisfy any destination-specific testing or certification demands. The document serves as a pre-application checklist rather than a substitute for the formal export application process.

This initiative is part of the ongoing Cell-Cultivated Products Sandbox Programme, which supports the government’s growth agenda for innovative food businesses. The programme maintains the FSA and FSS’s statutory role in protecting consumers while helping firms understand regulatory requirements. The new guidance is intended to accelerate the development of the cell-cultivated food sector by making export pathways more transparent and predictable for entrepreneurs and investors.