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Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Process (ACNFP). Subcommittee on Cell Cultivated Products (CCP). Minutes of the 4th Meeting held on the 20th of January 2026

Updated 25 June 2026

These minutes are subject to confirmation by the Subcommittee. 

Members are required to declare any personal interest in matters under discussion; where Members have a particularly close association with any item, the Chairman will limit their involvement in the discussion. In cases where an item is to be discussed in their absence, a Member may make a statement before leaving. 

Minutes of the 4th meeting of the Cell Cultivated Products (CCP) subcommittee of the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes, held on 20th January 2026 as a virtual meeting. 

Attendance

Committee Chair

Professor Huw D. Jones

Committee Members

Professor Hans Verhagen 

Professor Ramiro Alberio

Invited Experts

Dr Marianne Ellis

Ms Prithvi Kodialbail

Dr Anton Aldrick

Dr Lynne McIntyre

Professor Dimitris Charalampopoulos

Secretariat

Dr Daniel Lloyd, Technical Secretariat

Mrs Jodie Towns, Science Secretariat

Dr Swati Arya, Science Secretariat 

Mrs Ruth Willis, Head Regulated Products Risk 

Miss Victoria Balch, Administrative Secretariat

Welcome

The Chair welcomed members of the CCP subgroup, along with representatives from the FSA science team and the Secretariat. FSA representatives provided an overview of the DSIT funded CCP Sandbox programme which aims to support innovation in the UKs CCP sector. As part of this initiative, a series of workshops have been held with CCP companies, industry associations, and academic experts. These sessions have facilitated direct engagement and knowledge exchange with those closely involved in product development. The CCP subgroup of the ACNFP was established to work in parallel with these workshops, providing expert input to support the development of technical hazard guidance for CCP applicants.

Subgroup members were reminded by FSA representatives that this meeting was the second and final meeting planned for the topics of identity, production and microbiology. The initial meeting was held in August 2025 (ACNFP-CCP2) and explored the topics of cell identity, cell isolation, cell banking and production processes.  The FSA revisited the conclusions from the ACNFP-CCP2 meeting and identified that the purpose of this second meeting is to further discuss topic areas where additional input was required with the aim to reach practical, proportionate positions on supplementary guidance to be used alongside the EFSA 2016 novel foods guidance.

Identity, production and microbiology discission topics

The Subgroup explored key topics with a focus on the hazards associated with identity, production and microbiology in CCP manufacture. The Subgroup members were guided into key discussion points based on areas the FSA felt that further discussions were needed, areas that had been identified through sandbox and industry workshops. Areas considered included source animal traceability, early stage and end stage cell identity, genetic stability, genetic modification and microbiological safety at stages within the production process. 

Discussions addressed the traceability requirements for the source animal e.g. farmed animals, wild caught animals or live biopsy. The Subgroup also discussed cell lines purchased from commercial suppliers and what evidence for traceability would be required for each source. Key discussion points focussed on how to use existing commercial food systems as a baseline and identification on what are the hazards associated with lack of traceability. 

Cellular identity, isolation and characterisation discussions focussed on evidence required from applicants for identification of the species of the cell line, discussions on phenotypic markers, cellular differentiation and cell proportions in the final product. There was an emphasis on process control and product consistency for the basis of a robust risk assessment.

The Subgroup discussed genetic stability and genetic drift with views on what would be proportionate and when it moves from a quality to safety question. For cells that have been genetically modified (GM) or edited discussions focussed on how relevant GM principles for safety assessment can be applied in this context.

Microbial safety assessments were considered with acknowledgement that contamination during a culture would typically lead to batch failure.  Focus should be on a robust HACCP or food safety management plan. Testing at the cell banking stage should include species specific and risk based pathogenic testing, including for mycoplasma.

The overall safety of the final product as it is intended to be placed on market was discussed. Key agreements included the requirement for clear product specifications and evidence of downstream processing not introducing additional safety hazards or impacting risk profile.

Review of identity, production and microbiology guidance

The FSA started the guidance review session by giving an overview of guidance publication within the FSA and how the CCP Sandbox programme was set up to create robust guidance using the recently published Allergenicity and Nutrition guidance as an example.

Members reviewed the draft guidance and supported the consistency of structure and tone with the already published guidance and explored how this could be applied to the new topic. Areas identified within the drafted guidance where further clarity or refinements were required, were addressed and agreed during the Subgroup meeting. It was agreed that the FSA would continue to develop the guidance incorporating the suggested edits from the subgroup. The guidance will be reviewed by the main ACNFP committee in April 2026.