How regulators are shaping the future of novel foods

How are regulators supporting novel food innovation?Regulators now engage earlier to guide novel food developmentUK’s FSA offers one-to-one support for cell-cultivated productsApproval requires detailed dossiers including ingredients and processesUK and EU follow similar rules but run independent regimesGlobal networks help regulators share insights and streamline approvalsFood safety is unquestionably the most important aspect of food production worldwide. And it’s no mean feat.

Complex global supply chains, rising financial pressures, and the growing threat of climate change, food fraud, and cyber attacks, make it an ever growing challenge for manufacturers and regulators.

Added to this, novel foods and processes, including cell cultivation, precision fermentation, and gene editing, are being developed, presenting entirely new challenges to regulators.

“When a company wants to put a novel food on the market, they have to come to us to get regulatory approval,” says Thomas Vincent, deputy director of innovation at the Food Standards Agency (FSA). “We assess the product for safety, and then we provide recommendations to ministers across the UK nations, who will make the final decision to approve or not approve it.”

But, as well as carrying out the product assessment, and passing on those recommendations to government, the FSA also assists manufacturers in ensuring their product meets the required standards.

So, how can manufacturers get novel products approved? And how can regulatory bodies help?

Novel foods and processes, including cell cultivation, precision fermentation, and gene editing, are being developed, presenting an entirely new challenge for regulators. (Image: Getty/ljubaphoto)How can regulators help manufacturers get approval?Governing bodies including the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in the UK, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in the EU and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US can assist food manufacturers in a number of ways. These will vary between regulators.

In the UK, the FSA is keen to get involved right from the start.

“Our formal role is right at the end of the product development cycle,“ says the FSA’s Vincent.

But this is pretty late in the game and requires manufacturers to have a full understanding of exactly what’s needed to achieve regulatory approval.

“What we’ve been doing more recently,” says Vincent, “is try to get involved earlier in the process.”

This early intervention allows manufacturers to get a full understanding of what’s needed to get approval, right from the start.

“If there’s a choice they need to make regarding for example design, which would have big regulatory impact, it’s good for them to know at the very beginning,” says Vincent.

This approach also helps the FSA gain an understanding of the products being developed and the types of technologies they’ll be assessing in the future.

“What we’ve been doing with cell cultivated products and what we’re going to expand to do with precision fermented products, is offer more opportunities for companies to talk to us earlier on in that cycle. This allows companies to say to us, ‘we’re developing a product that’s like this, what should we be aware of as a company?’ It also gives us the chance to gather more intelligence – it’s mutually beneficial.”

Another useful fact for manufacturers to know is that the UK and EU follow similar systems, meaning that if a product is approved in the UK, there’s a strong chance it will gain approval in the EU, and vice versa.

But that’s not to say they’re exactly the same.

“The UK and the EU, follow basically the same legislation around food safety,” says Vincent. “We’re very similar, but we do run independent regimes, so we don’t automatically adopt EFSA decisions just like they won’t automatically adopt ours.”

In fact, regulatory bodies across the world are working to try to establish a more cohesive system in order to streamline the process for manufacturers and further improve food safety.

“A good example of this would be the sandbox,” says Vincent. “We’ve set up an international regulators network, where we meet with fellow regulators to talk about some of the scientific, legal and policy questions manufacturers have, so we can learn from other jurisdictions. That has been really helpful.”

Regulators are also working on ways to assist smaller businesses who might be new to the regulatory process.

“We’ve launched what we call a business support service for cell cultivated products, and we could expand it to other novel foods in the future,” says Vincent. “The service allows us to have one-to-one consultations with businesses. We discuss their product and highlight the types of regulations that will probably apply to them. We also explain what they might want to consider in the development process.”

The FSA is also launching a dedicated innovation guidance hub. This will serve as a one stop shop for companies developing a novel food. It’ll contain all of the information and guidance companies need.

Precision fermentation uses genetically modified microorganisms, like yeast or bacteria, to produce specific, high-value ingredients or products. (Image: Getty/olhakozachenko)The future of food innovationAs the food industry continues to evolve, so too must the systems that govern it. The rise of novel foods and technologies presents challenges and opportunities, requiring regulators to not only guarantee food safety, but also facilitate food innovation.

The proactive approach taken by bodies like the FSA, with early engagement, tailored support services, and international collaboration, signals a shift toward a more dynamic and responsive regulatory environment that will define the future of food.

Thomas Vincent will be speaking at Future Food-Tech London (24-25 September 2025)

25 September – 09:45 – Main Stage: Redefining Food Standards: Science, Safety, and the Global Regulatory Landscape25 September 10:05 – Main Stage – Food Standards Agency Update: UK Regulation Supporting Food Innovation