The UK government has invested £1.4m in a new innovation center, hoping to empower the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to expand its knowledge in novel technologies like precision fermentation.
Precision fermentation involves the use of organisms like yeast to develop ingredients like dairy proteins, including whey and casein, through an animal-free process. This can create the familiar flavour and texture of traditional animal food products, like meat, eggs and cheese, for plant food.
Though the technology has been employed for decades to make ingredients like rennet for cheesemaking, its application in alternative protein production is still relatively recent. As per a recently published report by Coherent Market Insights, the precision fermentation industry worldwide was worth $5.93 Bn in 2025 and is projected to reach $65.07 Bn by the end of 2032.
A Life Cycle Assessment of precision fermentation milk protein from French firm Verley (formerly Bon Vivant) in partnership with independent experts from the public research organization INRAE concluded it resulted in 72% fewer emissions, 81% less water usage, and 99% less land usage compared to cow's milk.
Precision-fermented dairy proteins are not as yet available to British consumers, although there is increasing interest in the technology here, with the Food Standards Agency's regulatory process currently considering several applications.
This latest policy move by the UK government is part of its new Regulatory Innovation Office. It will enhance the FSA's capacity to conduct risk assessments on precision-fermented products while offering more regulatory certainty to start-ups who want to market such products in the UK.
The government has invested in a system of university research facilities dedicated to developing precision fermentation and other new food production technologies, such as the Microbial Food Hub, the Cellular Agriculture Manufacturing Hub, and the National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre.
The non-profit think tank the Good Food Institute (GFI) Europe welcomed the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology funding.
The organisation's senior policy manager, Linus Pardoe, said: "This announcement demonstrates the government is keen to take advantage of the UK's potential to be a global leader in food innovation, to enable entrepreneurs to collaborate with scientists to get products to market in a manner that maintains our gold standard safety controls.
He said: "Emphasizing precision fermentation – a radically exciting means of cutting the climate footprint of many foods – is a very welcome step, and funding the FSA's risk assessment capability is a good step towards updating the regulatory route to bring benefits to the public and to innovators."
This new funding is distinct from the FSA's cultivated meat regulatory sandbox, which was announced at the close of last year and will allow regulators to collaborate with companies, academics, and organizations such as GFI Europe, to increase their understanding of cultivated meat.
Source:
Ecommerce PLatform: FOODBEV MEDIA Ltd.
