Classification of cell-cultivated products
It is the position of both the FSA and FSS that cell-cultivated products derived from animal cells fall under the definition of Products of Animal Origin (POAO), as set out in Annex 1 to Regulation (EC) 853/2004 (the legislation that provides specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin). This is because these cell-cultivated products originate from a cell, or cells, taken from animals. The position on this classification is only for the purposes of Regulation (EC) 853/2004.
This classification also aligns with the European Commission, who also classify cell-cultivated products as POAO, as set out in this document. Aligning with this position facilitates a consistent approach across the four nations of the UK (including Northern Ireland, which follows EU rules on the classification of cell-cultivated products).
Even though cell-cultivated products are associated with terms such as “lab-grown meat”, “cultured meat”, and “slaughter-free meat”, the FSA/FSS do not consider these products to satisfy the legal definition of “meat” for the purposes of Regulation (EC) 853/2004. “Meat” is defined in Annex 1 to Regulation (EC) 853/2004 as edible parts of animals including blood. We do not consider a final cell-cultivated product to be an edible part of any of the animals listed in that regulation. Furthermore, parts of that regulation (such as Annex III of Regulation (EC) 853/2004), as well as other pieces of legislation (such as Regulation 1099/2009 on animal welfare and Regulation (EC) 2073/2005 on the microbiological criteria), cannot be readily applied to cell-cultivated products as they apply to “meat”, as they concern practices that involve the presence of animals (for instance, slaughter hygiene). Further consideration will be given to the application of Regulation (EC) 853/2004 in future guidance to be produced through the sandbox programme.