TO BE PUBLISHED December 2024
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This conference will examine next steps for novel foods and alternative proteins - looking at the latest sector developments, and the outlook for regulation and policy in the UK.
It will be an opportunity for stakeholders, regulators and policymakers to discuss priorities for the new Government, and implications for novel foods and the wider UK agri-food sector.
Delegates will examine the regulatory approach going forward, with plans set out by the FSA to speed up the approval process of regulated novel food products, including introducing a proposed sliding scale based on an assessment of international approvals.
Practicalities for implementation will be considered, looking at alignment with EU and international regulation, and implications of new regulatory processes on trade -alongside issues around cross-border regulatory divergence, reducing red tape and priorities for safety assurance of products being approved.
Delegates will discuss priorities for investment, as well as opportunities for innovation in the agri-food sector, following the £20.4bn allocated to DSIT in the Budget to boost UK R&D, including engineering biology scale up. We expect discussion on strategic pathways for achieving the aim of making the UK a world leader in the alternative protein industry, in light of the FSA launching a new sandbox programme to evaluate the safety for cell-cultivated products, as well as the launch of the new Regulatory Innovation Office to accelerate public access to new technologies.
Attendees will also consider opportunities for the sector in the context of the Government’s wider policy agenda, including the potential role of novel foods and alternative proteins in food security. It comes with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology recently highlighting opportunities to utilise alternative protein sources to tackle climate change challenges, improve national health and address concerns around animal welfare.
There will also be a focus on strategies for encouraging consumer uptake of new protein sources, including mitigating concerns around the cost, safety and taste of new products, as well as public messaging on environmental and health benefits of alternative protein sources.
With plans from the Government to invest £15m into a National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre, sessions will discuss next steps for the UK’s research strategy, with the PM signalling the intention of addressing red tape that could hamper innovation and market growth, as well as priorities for R&D, and supporting new product development and commercialisation.
Further discussion will examine the use of data to determine how standards in food safety and quality can be better measured and differentiated, as well as how these metrics can be applied accurately across the novel foods sector. It follows concerns raised by some stakeholders over whether measures for novel food safety can effectively communicate product transparency and encourage consumer acceptance.
We are pleased to be able to include keynote sessions with: Ivan Boemer, Solicitor, Legal Directorate, The Scottish Government; Prof Robin May, Chief Scientific Adviser, FSA; Linus Pardoe, Senior UK Policy Manager, Good Food Institute Europe; Georgina Finch, Senior Policy Advisor, Regulated Products, FSS; and Dr Kristi Muldoon Jacobs, Director, Office of Food Chemical Safety, Dietary Supplements, and Innovation, FDA.
All delegates will be able to contribute, alongside key policy officials, to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those due to attend include parliamentary pass-holders from the House of Commons and officials from CCC; DAERA, NI; Defra; DoH, NI; FSA; FSS; The Scottish Government; and the Welsh Government.
