The RAU’s role in the future of ‘cell-ag’

Cultivated meat and other cellular-agriculture (cell-ag) technologies are gathering pace. Decisions about their role in our food system will have far-reaching impacts, and they are being made right now. At the RAU, we are asking UK citizens and stakeholders how they think the technology should develop. We are then using this insight to help steer research efforts and influence policy.

The Cellular Agriculture Manufacturing Hub, or CARMA, is a multidisciplinary group of scientists funded by UK Research and Innovation. CARMA is working on taking cell-ag from the laboratory to the shopping basket in a way that’s genuinely sustainable, and on developing the underpinning manufacturing technologies that would make it possible to produce cell-ag products at scale.

The RAU is part of the CARMA team and is leading on Work Package 6, ‘Engaging public and policy’. It is our role to invite wide-ranging voices, lean into the nuances of the discussion, and bring scrutiny, both to the wider technology and to CARMA itself.

Citizen and Stakeholder Forums

As part of this work, we have set up two forums:

• The Stakeholder Forum, made up of people with business and professional interests in the future of cell-ag. Stakeholders such as farmers, retailers, health professionals, environmental, and animal welfare NGOs come together to discuss the issues surrounding cell-ag.

• The Citizen Forum, a ‘mini-public’ with members chosen to be representative of the UK population across a range of demographic factors and with varied political views and opinions on technology, food, environment and the climate.

These forums bring together people with diverse opinions on cellular agriculture; and act as a ‘reality check’ on what may, or may not, have social license. What sets the groups apart is that as well as broad views on the technology, its members are tasked with giving specific guidance on challenges facing CARMA scientists. This is a novel approach to citizen engagement within the cell-ag sector which we hope will help steer CARMA and the wider industry so that it works for everyone. 

What is cellular agriculture? And, why is it important?

Cellular agriculture is the production of food and other consumables, traditionally grown on the land or in the sea. Advocates say it has the potential to reduce the climate impact of our diets without sacrificing flavour. Others have concerns about its potential impact on our food system and health.

The technology to produce these foods already exists. The challenge now facing scientists, investors and regulatory bodies around the world is how to bring it to market. For example, a cultivated meat product is already on sale in Singapore, and another has been approved for human consumption in the US.

Here in the UK, in February 2025, the first cultivated meat product went on sale as pet food. Then in March 2025, the Food Standards Agency set up a ‘sandbox’ for cell-cultivated products. This process will take two years and aims to establish how cultivated meat products should be regulated. Pet food and human food do, of course, have completely different regulatory standards and food safety requirements.

Why is an agricultural university part of a bio-engineering project?

It is precisely because of our agricultural background that we are involved in CARMA. From 2022 to 2024, the RAU led a project called Cultured Meat & Farmers. Despite being at the ‘sharp end’, amongst all of the ethical, economic and environmental research into cultured meat, hardly anyone had thought about how it might impact farmers. The project brought together researchers, farmers, policymakers, and cultured meat start-ups to find out what farmers think of cultured meat and model what it might mean for UK farming. Find out more here.

Want to have a say?

If you would like to feed in to our work in this area, we would love to hear from you.

We are also looking to grow the Stakeholder Forum. If you have a professional interest in the future of our food system and can spare 2-3 hours four times a year, please get in touch.