Global cell-cultured food market advances amid regulatory challenges

Cell-cultured foods, also known as cultivated or cell-based foods, are produced by growing animal or plant cells in controlled conditions. These can create products such as meat, poultry and seafood without raising whole animals, and are attracting regulatory attention as potential sustainability and food security solutions.

Global overview

Several countries are playing a leading role in advancing cell-cultured foods, although regulatory requirements and approval processes vary considerably between regions.

Singapore leads the way

Singapore became the first country to approve cultivated poultry meat in 2020 and remains a global leader, with five cell-cultured foods approved under its novel food framework, with Parima’s cell-cultured duck being the latest one. Its approach combines robust safety assessment with strong support for innovation.

No cultivated meat approval for human food yet in the UK or EU

Neither the UK nor the EU has approved cultivated meat for human consumption yet. The UK, through its novel foods process, recently approved Meatly’s cell-cultivated chicken ingredient for pet food, but not for human food. In the EU, an apple fruit cell culture biomass for use in adult food supplements was approved.

United States route adds regulatory complexity

Unlike Singapore, Australia, UK and EU, which generally assess cell-cultivated products through novel food authorisation, the United States uses a dual-agency model. The FDA oversees cell collection, cell banks, growth and differentiation, then USDA takes over at harvest for meat and poultry products, covering processing, inspection and labelling. This coordinated route enabled UPSIDE Foods and GOOD Meat to progress cultivated chicken products to the US market in 2023. With two different regulators and it may be more complicated that than a streamlined novel food process.

Japan trails leading markets, but advances its framework

Japan is still developing its regulatory framework for cell-cultured foods. In May 2026, Japan published its first draft safety guidelines, focusing on cell sourcing, manufacturing controls, allergens, nutrition, and product specifications, signalling increasing regulatory maturity but no formal approval pathway yet.

What do these developments mean for food businesses?

As regulatory frameworks for cell-cultured foods continue to develop, the global landscape is becoming increasingly fragmented. While some countries are establishing clear approval pathways, others are still defining how these products will be assessed and regulated.

For companies developing cell-cultured foods, understanding how requirements differ between markets will be critical. Approval processes, data expectations, labelling requirements and timelines can vary significantly, making early regulatory planning an important consideration when evaluating commercialisation and market-entry strategies.

Leatherhead Food Research’s regulatory experts continue to track developments in this evolving area, monitoring regulatory changes affecting the global food industry and sharing insights and updates through our membership programme.