logo
Lab-grown food could be sold in the UK within two years

Lab-grown food could be sold in the UK within two years

Yahoo10-03-2025

Lab-grown food could be sold in the UK within two years, a watchdog has indicated.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) said it was committed to completing the full safety assessment of two cell-cultivated products (CCPs) within the next two years.
The watchdog has launched a 'pioneering' regulatory programme for CCPs to make sure they are safe for consumers before they are sold, funded by the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology's Engineering Biology Sandbox Fund.
CCPs are new food products made without traditional farming methods such as rearing livestock or growing plants and grains.
Instead, cells from plants or animals are grown in a controlled environment to make the product.
There are currently no CCPs approved for human consumption in the UK.
FSA chief scientific adviser Professor Robin May said: 'Safe innovation is at the heart of this programme.
'By prioritising consumer safety and making sure new foods, like CCPs, are safe we can support growth in innovative sectors.
'Our aim is to ultimately provide consumers with a wider choice of new food, while maintaining the highest safety standards.'
A team of scientists and regulatory experts will work with academic bodies, the CCP industry and trade organisations on the two-year programme.
Science minister Lord Vallance said: 'By supporting the safe development of cell-cultivated products, we're giving businesses the confidence to innovate and accelerating the UK's position as a global leader in sustainable food production.
'This work will not only help bring new products to market faster, but strengthen consumer trust, supporting our Plan for Change and creating new economic opportunities across the country.'
The businesses participating in the programme are Hoxton Farms, Roslin Technologies and Uncommon Bio, all from the UK, BlueNalu (US), Mosa Meat (the Netherlands), Gourmey and Vital Meat (France) and Vow (Australia).
Hoxton Farms was launched in 2020 by Ed Steele and Max Jamilly, and has been pioneering technology to grow animal fat products that 'look, cook and taste like the real thing'.
Roslin Technologies was launched two years later as a biotech company to produce lab-grown pet food.
In February, a dog treat made from cultivated meat went on sale at Pets at Home in a move the retailer claimed was a world first.
In July last year, the UK became the first country in Europe to back cultivated meat for use in pet food, after chicken produced by the firm Meatly was approved by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Animal and Plant Health Agency.
The treat, called Chick Bites, is made from plant-based ingredients combined with cultivated meat, which is produced by growing cells and does not require the raising or slaughter of animals.
Meatly said the chicken was produced from a single sample of cells taken from one chicken egg, from which enough cultivated meat could be produced to feed pets 'forever'.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Former Chinese Military Doctor Leaks CCP Plan to Use Taiwanese Troops as Organ Bank
Former Chinese Military Doctor Leaks CCP Plan to Use Taiwanese Troops as Organ Bank

Epoch Times

time40 minutes ago

  • Epoch Times

Former Chinese Military Doctor Leaks CCP Plan to Use Taiwanese Troops as Organ Bank

A former Chinese military doctor, who witnessed the Chinese communist regime's crimes of live organ harvesting, has warned that Beijing has outlined an intent, as well as the equipment and technology, to extract the blood and vital organs of surrendered Taiwanese troops in the event of a Taiwan invasion—in violation of international laws dictating the humane treatment of prisoners of war. Zheng Zhi, a former Chinese military doctor currently living in exile in Canada, traveled to Taiwan to answer audience questions at screenings of the award winning documentary 'State Organs' from June 4–15, which features Zheng's eye-witness account of the regime's forced organ harvesting crimes as a military doctor in China. The documentary, directed by Raymond Zhang, focuses on the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) systemic forced live organ harvesting that primarily targets Falun Gong practitioners in China in its more than two decades long persecution of the faith group that teaches living in accordance to the universal principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. The live organs-for-profit industry has become a massive industrial-scale supply chain facilitated by the CCP's extrajudicial powers in China, bringing in a huge amount of money for the regime. Lion Films, the Taiwanese distributor of 'State Organs,' invited Dr. Zheng as a special guest. Zheng and Ming Chu-cheng, an honorary professor of political science at the National Taiwan University, spoke at the post-screening Q&A session after the Taipei screening on June 4. Hsu Chih-chieh, a legislator in the Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China (Taiwan) who was the main promoter of a legislation to combat and prevent organ harvesting, also came to the event to show support and call for joint efforts to end the atrocities by the CCP. Zheng said he was happy to visit Taiwan and to contribute to protecting it from the CCP. Related Stories 6/10/2025 6/11/2025 'I hope everyone will support the Legislative Yuan in passing the 'Anti-Organ Harvesting Act.' For the sake of the more than 23 million Taiwanese people, I am willing to travel to every region to tell everyone that I hope the evil of organ harvesting will no longer harm Taiwan,' Zheng said. 'The CCP's organ harvesting is real, and it's killing people on a large scale by taking their organs. This is horrific.' Surrendered Taiwanese Soldiers as Potential Organ Bank Zheng revealed that 'the CCP military makes a combat plan against Taiwan every year.' 'Once a war breaks out in the Taiwan Strait, the greatest pressure for them will be on logistics support because millions of troops may be mobilized to the front line of the Taiwan Strait,' he said. 'In addition, two to three million logistics personnel will be needed to provide support in order to fight.' He said that from the CCP's view, 'the most difficult part of the logistics to supply the front is the storage, refrigeration, and transportation of blood, as many soldiers will be bleeding or burnt in combat. So blood supply will become the biggest pressure.' For that reason, 'the CCP's military came up with a solution,' Zheng said. 'That is, when attacking Taiwan, they planned to put the surrendered Taiwanese officers and soldiers in detention and draw blood from them and give it to the wounded CCP soldiers, and also take pieces of skin from the Taiwanese soldiers and transplant them to the burnt CCP soldiers.' So if communist China invades Taiwan and the Taiwanese military surrenders, 'the first thing they will face is having their blood taken by the CCP because the Chinese military needs a large amount of blood locally,' Zheng warned of the extent of the CCP's military plans. No Morality, 'No Technical Barriers' Zheng said the regime has turned its back on morality and basic ethics. 'The CCP no longer has any bottom line of how to treat human beings. As long as the Taiwanese military surrenders or they are still alive, they are the best blood supply bank and organ bank for the CCP,' Zheng said. China has 'no technical barriers to harvesting organs from the surrendered Taiwanese troops who are alive,' considering 'current medical technology and the CCP's organ harvesting industry chain,' according to Zheng. 'It is quite easy. It's just a matter of the number of living people to be 'killed on demand,'' Zheng said. He added that the CCP's military, the PLA, has developed modular blood processing equipment, 'including blood testing and blood processing equipment, all of which are placed in containers for easy transportation.' When the CCP starts to invade Taiwan, 'it can be quickly transported to the front battlefield via container trucks, airplanes, etc., and can be set up immediately, just like a 'field hospital,'' Zheng said. Falun Gong practitioners re-enact illegal payment for human organs in Washington on April 19, 2016. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images Professor Ming agreed in the Q&A that 'the bottom line of the CCP's thinking is far lower than we imagined.' 'I just heard Zheng Zhi say a lot of things, which are still beyond my imagination,' he said, referring to the CCP's leaked plan to use surrendered live Taiwanese soldiers as a blood and organ bank in the event of invasion. Ming said that he was shocked after watching 'State Organs' to learn that live organ harvesting is still happening in China. He noted, as Zheng said, that the CCP's organ harvesting crimes are 'killing people on demand.' He said he wants to tell those Taiwanese people who are ready to surrender to the CCP in the hope of saving their lives that this may be the fate that awaits them. Lawyer Chen I-shen told The Epoch Times, responding to the CCP's military plans revealed by Zheng: 'Taiwanese, do you think you will be safe after surrendering to the CCP? Absolutely not!' 'What the Taiwanese can do is to unite and fight against the CCP! Let more people know the truth about the CCP! Only by fighting against the CCP can we protect a democratic and free Taiwan! Only then can there be true peace!' he urged his compatriots. Zhong Yuan contributed to this report.

FTSE 100 LIVE: Stocks slump as UK GDP contracts 0.3% in April
FTSE 100 LIVE: Stocks slump as UK GDP contracts 0.3% in April

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

FTSE 100 LIVE: Stocks slump as UK GDP contracts 0.3% in April

The FTSE 100 (^FTSE) and European stocks were lower on Thursday as the UK economy shrank more than expected in April, in a blow to chancellor Rachel Reeves who is seeking growth to power her spending plans. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) gross domestic product (GDP) contracted by 0.3% during the month, worse than analysts' fears that the economy would shrink by 0.1%. It follows a 0.7% expansion during the first three months of the year. The ONS said services output fell by 0.4%, after growth of 0.4% in March, and was the largest contributor to the fall in GDP in the month. Production output also decreased, by 0.6%, but construction output rose by 0.9% in April. It comes as April began with US president Donald Trump announcing a slew of tariffs on US trading partners and was also the month when UK employers started paying higher national insurance contributions. Reeves has made growing the British economy one of her main missions as she aims to shore up public finances. On Thursday she said: "Our number one mission is delivering growth to put more money in people's pockets through our Plan for Change, and while these numbers are clearly disappointing, I'm determined to deliver on that mission. 'In yesterday's spending review we set out how we'll deliver jobs and growth — whether that's improving city region transport, a record investment in affordable homes or funding Sizewell C nuclear power station. We're investing in Britain's renewal to make working people better off.' London's benchmark index (^FTSE) was hovering near the flatline in early trade. Germany's DAX (^GDAXI) dipped 1.1% and the CAC (^FCHI) in Paris headed 0.7% into the red. The pan-European STOXX 600 (^STOXX) was down 0.6%. Wall Street is set for a negative start as S&P 500 futures (ES=F), Dow futures (YM=F) and Nasdaq futures (NQ=F) were all in the red. The pound was 0.1% down against the US dollar (GBPUSD=X) at 1.3538. Follow along for live updates throughout the day: The UK economy shrank by more than expected in April, according to official figures, with the figures coming a day after chancellor Rachel Reeves unveiled a raft of pledges in the government spending review. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that the UK's gross domestic product (GDP) — the standard measure of an economy's value – shrank by 0.3% in April, which was more than the 0.1% contraction expected by economists. The fall followed growth of 0.2% in March and a 0.7% rise in GDP in the first quarter. The largest contributor to the fall in GDP in April was a 0.4% fall in services output, the ONS said. Production output fell by 0.6% in April, while construction output grew by 0.9% that month. The fall in UK economic growth came as an increase in employer national insurance contributions and the national minimum wage, which were announced in the autumn budget, came into place in early April. The ONS said that GDP was estimated to have grown by 0.7% in the three months to April, compared to the three months to January, which was largely driven by growth in the services sector. Liz McKeown, director of economic statistics at the ONS, said: Asian shares were trading mostly lower on Thursday as markets struggled to gain traction, grappling with tariff uncertainty and geopolitics. The Nikkei (^N225) fell 0.7% on the day in Japan, while the Hang Seng (^HSI) dipped 1.2% in Hong Kong. The Shanghai Composite ( was flat by the end of the session. In South Korea, the Kospi (^KS11) added 0.5% on the day, which has posted a 7th consecutive gain, leaving the index on track for its highest closing level since January 2022. Across the pond on Wall Street, investors appeared not to react much to the results of the latest round of China-US trade talks. The Dow Jones (^DJI) finished a day of choppy trading little changed, at 42,865.77, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) fell 0.3%, ending at 6,022.24, and the tach-heavy Nasdaq (^IXIC) lost 0.5%, closing at 19,615.88. In the bond market, the yield on benchmark 10-year US Treasury notes fell to 4.427% from 4.471% late on Tuesday. Good morning, and welcome back to our markets live blog. As usual we will be taking a deep dive into what's moving markets and happening across the global economy. In the day ahead we have data releases including the US PPI release for May, the weekly initial jobless claims, and UK GDP for April. Central bank speakers include the ECB Vice President de Guindos, as well as the ECB's Schnabel, Muller, Escriva, Simkus, Knot, Panetta, and Patsalides. Finally, there's a 30-year Treasury auction taking place. Here's a quick snapshot of what's on the agenda: 7am: Trading updates: Tesco, Halma, Norcros, Crest Nicholson, Idox 7am: UK GDP report for April 7am: UK trade balance for April 1.30pm: US weekly jobless claims report 1.30pm: US PPI index of producer prices for MayThe UK economy shrank by more than expected in April, according to official figures, with the figures coming a day after chancellor Rachel Reeves unveiled a raft of pledges in the government spending review. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that the UK's gross domestic product (GDP) — the standard measure of an economy's value – shrank by 0.3% in April, which was more than the 0.1% contraction expected by economists. The fall followed growth of 0.2% in March and a 0.7% rise in GDP in the first quarter. The largest contributor to the fall in GDP in April was a 0.4% fall in services output, the ONS said. Production output fell by 0.6% in April, while construction output grew by 0.9% that month. The fall in UK economic growth came as an increase in employer national insurance contributions and the national minimum wage, which were announced in the autumn budget, came into place in early April. The ONS said that GDP was estimated to have grown by 0.7% in the three months to April, compared to the three months to January, which was largely driven by growth in the services sector. Liz McKeown, director of economic statistics at the ONS, said: Asian shares were trading mostly lower on Thursday as markets struggled to gain traction, grappling with tariff uncertainty and geopolitics. The Nikkei (^N225) fell 0.7% on the day in Japan, while the Hang Seng (^HSI) dipped 1.2% in Hong Kong. The Shanghai Composite ( was flat by the end of the session. In South Korea, the Kospi (^KS11) added 0.5% on the day, which has posted a 7th consecutive gain, leaving the index on track for its highest closing level since January 2022. Across the pond on Wall Street, investors appeared not to react much to the results of the latest round of China-US trade talks. The Dow Jones (^DJI) finished a day of choppy trading little changed, at 42,865.77, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) fell 0.3%, ending at 6,022.24, and the tach-heavy Nasdaq (^IXIC) lost 0.5%, closing at 19,615.88. In the bond market, the yield on benchmark 10-year US Treasury notes fell to 4.427% from 4.471% late on Tuesday. Good morning, and welcome back to our markets live blog. As usual we will be taking a deep dive into what's moving markets and happening across the global economy. In the day ahead we have data releases including the US PPI release for May, the weekly initial jobless claims, and UK GDP for April. Central bank speakers include the ECB Vice President de Guindos, as well as the ECB's Schnabel, Muller, Escriva, Simkus, Knot, Panetta, and Patsalides. Finally, there's a 30-year Treasury auction taking place. Here's a quick snapshot of what's on the agenda: 7am: Trading updates: Tesco, Halma, Norcros, Crest Nicholson, Idox 7am: UK GDP report for April 7am: UK trade balance for April 1.30pm: US weekly jobless claims report 1.30pm: US PPI index of producer prices for May

UK economy shrunk by worse-than-expected 0.3% in April, ONS reveals, in bitter blow to Rachel Reeves
UK economy shrunk by worse-than-expected 0.3% in April, ONS reveals, in bitter blow to Rachel Reeves

Yahoo

time4 hours ago

  • Yahoo

UK economy shrunk by worse-than-expected 0.3% in April, ONS reveals, in bitter blow to Rachel Reeves

The UK economy shrank by 0.3% in April, it was revealed on Thursday, in a blow to Chancellor Rachel Reeves as her spending review comes under growing scrutiny. The latest GDP figures revealed by the Office for National Statistics is worse than the 0.1% fall expected by economists. Responding to the news, Ms Reeves acknowledged they were 'clearly disappointing' but insisted her spending review, delivered to MPs on Wednesday, would help deliver growth. The Chancellor said: 'Our number one mission is delivering growth to put more money in people's pockets through our Plan for Change, and while these numbers are clearly disappointing, I'm determined to deliver on that mission. 'In yesterday's spending review we set out how we'll deliver jobs and growth - whether that's improving city region transport, a record investment in affordable homes or funding Sizewell C nuclear power station. We're investing in Britain's renewal to make working people better off.' Speaking on Sky News, the Chancellor admitted April was a 'challenging month' but said the data was 'perhaps not entirely unexpected' given uncertainty around tariffs. Breaking news. This article is being updated.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store