Criticisms have been raised at the Food Standards Agency (FSA) for wanting to accelerate approval of lab-grown meat for the UK market.
It comes following plans of fast-tracking UK cultivated meat through a deal with Israel, and guidance released by the FSA to help businesses understand the process behind cell-cultivated products.
This has sparked criticism from stakeholders in the traditional meat industry, with some citing “hypocrisy and duplicity” by the FSA.
It’s in light of their refusal to reconsider regulatory controls inherited from EU legislation for the meat industry that have been labelled as “stringent” and “unscientific”.
One organisation making such claims are the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (AIMS).
Spokesperson Dr Jason Aldiss said initially, departing from the EU offered the chance to reassess and potentially reduce the regulatory burden on the UK meat sector.
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“Contrary to these expectations, the industry has experienced an increase in regulatory pressures, further exacerbated by the FSA’s recent suggestions to relax regulations around the production of alternative protein sources, such as lab-grown meat” he said.
“Given the meat industry reportedly contributes upwards of 70% of the FSA’s funding, this apparent shift towards support for alternative protein sources does raise questions about the FSA’s suitability and fitness for purpose.”
“The controversy extends to the classification of lab-grown meat as ‘ultra-processed’ food, juxtaposed against traditional meat, which is celebrated for being a natural, high-quality source of protein and essential nutrients.”
AIMS have also levelled challenges at the FSA notion of labelling synthetic lab-cultured products as “food”, arguing that the endorsement of these products could damage the agency’s mission of upholding health food standards.
Mr Aldiss continued, talking about an “anti-meat influence” AIMS believe is permeating through some government departments.
They said this leads for calls of a comprehensive review of the FSA’s to ensure its decisions are grounded in scientific research.
“In response to these concerns, there is a growing demand for a meaningful dialogue between the FSA, industry stakeholders, and consumer groups to address these discrepancies and work towards a regulatory framework that supports innovation in food production while maintaining the competitiveness and sustainability of the traditional meat industry” concluded Jason.
Plans on further action for cultivated meat are expected from the FSA next month.
