Lab-grown foie gras, edible insects and 3D-printed chocolate are among the food innovations likely to reach the UK public within 15 years, experts have said. A new report by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) highlights the innovative food technologies that are most likely to transform UK plates by 2035, and the steps needed to ensure they are safe.
Among the technologies that could arrive on British plates soon are foods grown from animal and plant cells in a lab, such as steak, chicken and duck foie gras. Two products are already being risk-assessed by regulators, with others preparing for the process. Edible insects can be sold as whole insects or used as ingredients such as powders added to familiar foods; four species are already on sale in the UK for food or animal feed under temporary arrangements while safety assessments are ongoing.
The FSA said allergen proteins in crustaceans can also be found in edible insects, meaning people with a shellfish allergy could have a similar reaction to eating bug products – making this one of the considerations for safety assessments. Another innovation already becoming mainstream is 'vertical farming', growing plants like lettuce in highly-controlled indoor spaces with precise nutrient delivery, enabling year-round crops.
Further off, the UK could see technologies that use plants as tiny factories to produce specific food ingredients, and 'gas fermentation' which uses microbes to convert captured carbon dioxide into single-cell proteins for food. The report also looks at 'largely conceptual innovations' such as 3D-printed foods, which would allow manufacturers to build foods like chocolate or mashed potato from layered edible ingredients, though these are not expected to reach a broad market in the next five to 10 years. However, such technology could help create personalised foods, for example for people who have difficulty swallowing.
Dr Thomas Vincent, deputy director of innovation at the FSA, said: 'The food system is always evolving, and as a regulator, we need to keep pace with that and keep pace with the industry so that we can help ensure that new products are safe.' He stressed the need to ensure new production methods meet food safety and hygiene standards, allergies are considered, and nutrition is evaluated – so if a lab-grown food replaces meat, it provides what consumers expect nutritionally.
Amid concern about long-term health impacts of ultra-processed foods, Dr Vincent said safety assessments look not just at the products' composition but also at how they are made, including allergenicity, toxicology, microbial contamination, acute risks, and chronic risks such as carcinogens. The FSA conducts a thorough, holistic safety assessment for all novel foods.
