The UK government has invested £1.4m into a new innovation hub, aiming to enable the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to broaden its expertise in new technologies such as precision fermentation.

Precision fermentation uses organisms like yeast to produce ingredients such as dairy proteins, like whey and casein, in an animal-free process. This can help bring the familiar flavour and texture of familiar animal-based foods, like meat, eggs and cheese, to plant-based products.

While the technology has been used for decades to produce ingredients such as rennet for cheesemaking, its use in alternative protein production still remains fairly new. According to a newly released report by Verified Market Research, the global precision fermentation market was valued at $1.6bn in 2023 and is expected to reach $34.2bn by the end of 2031.

A Life Cycle Assessment of French company Verley (previously Bon Vivant)'s precision fermentation milk protein, conducted in collaboration with independent experts from the public research body INRAE, found that it caused 72% fewer emissions, used 81% less water and used 99% less land than cow’s milk.

Precision-fermented dairy proteins are not yet available to British consumers, but there is growing interest in the technology in the country, with the FSA’s regulatory process currently evaluating several applications.

Check out our latest Crunchtime podcast episode, in which we speak to V-Label's Lubo Yotov about the recently launched C-Label, for cell-based foods, and F-Label, for foods made with precision fermentation and other advanced biotech fermentation methods. Listen here!

This latest announcement from the UK government is part of its new Regulatory Innovation Office. It will boost the FSA’s ability to carry out risk assessments on precision-fermented products, while providing greater regulatory clarity to start-ups wishing to sell these products in the UK.

The government has invested in a network of university research centres focused on advancing precision fermentation and other modern food production technologies, including the Microbial Food Hub, the Cellular Agriculture Manufacturing Hub, and the National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre.

Non-profit think tank the Good Food Institute (GFI) Europe welcomed the funding from the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology.

The organisation’s senior policy manager, Linus Pardoe, commented: “This announcement shows the government is working to capitalise on the UK’s potential to become a world leader in food innovation, helping entrepreneurs work with scientists to bring products to market in a way that upholds our gold standard safety regulations.”

He added: “Focusing on precision fermentation – a hugely promising way to reduce the climate impact of many foods – is a particularly welcome move, and investing in the FSA’s risk assessment capacity is a positive step towards modernising the regulatory pathway to deliver benefits to the public and innovators.”

This recent funding is separate from the FSA’s regulatory sandbox for cultivated meat, announced at the end of last year, which will enable regulators to work alongside companies, academics and organisations including GFI Europe, to expand their knowledge about cultivated meat.

Top image: © Verley UK government invests £1.4m in expanding precision fermentation expertise