Edible insects, 3D food printing, and cell-based foods are among the technologies expected to reach UK consumers in the next five to 10 years.
A report from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) listed areas likely to have the greatest impact on the food system.
They include controlled environment agriculture (CEA), or vertical farming, which is growing crops such as leafy greens and herbs in climate-controlled indoor spaces where conditions are monitored and cell-based foods, that don’t involve traditional farming, such as rearing livestock or growing plants and grains.
Precision and biomass fermentation, edible insects, molecular farming, gas fermentation, 3D food printing, and reverse food manufacturing are also mentioned.
Regulator and business approach
No edible insects are permitted to be sold in the UK but following exit from the EU, yellow mealworm, house cricket, banded cricket, and black soldier fly can remain on the market until an authorization decision has been made.
Technologies such as molecular farming are at an early stage, while reverse food manufacturing and 3D printing need longer-term monitoring. The UK system relies on pre-market authorization under the novel foods framework before a product is approved for sale.
The report builds on foresight work by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which identified 44 innovations across short, medium, and long-term timescales.
“Emerging technologies are reshaping how our food is produced and sourced. This report gives industry and government a clear sight of what is coming, and what is required to ensure these products meet the UK’s high standards,” said Dr. Thomas Vincent, deputy director of innovation at the FSA.
By setting out the regulatory implications, the report helps companies plan long-term research, manufacturing and investment strategies with greater certainty. For regulators, it provides a blueprint for where scientific capability, guidance and risk assessment approaches will need to evolve to keep pace with innovation.
Recurring themes include allergenicity, microbiological hazards in controlled or closed systems, chemical and material safety, and the importance of traceability and accurate consumer information.
According to the report, in complex or new processes, the difference between safe and unsafe outcomes may hinge on staff training, capability, oversight and consistent execution of controls.
Thoughts of the consumer
There is low awareness about innovative food technologies. Only a third of consumers were aware of any of the five technologies highlighted in the research, while more than half had not heard of any of them. Awareness was highest for 3D food printing.
Findings come from a survey of 2,053 adults in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in December 2025 by Ipsos UK and work by the Cellular Agriculture Manufacturing Hub focused on precision fermentation with 15 participants in January 2026.
Top concerns people have about food produced by innovative technologies relates to food being made in a way that is not natural and its safety, as well as a lack of information about the technology.
Around half of survey respondents were confident that the UK government puts safety first when approving food made using innovative technologies. Willingness to eat such products varies, but consumers generally show caution. They are most willing to try products made using controlled environment agriculture (64 percent) and are most hesitant about molecular farming (38 percent) and 3D printed food (30 percent).
The most important factors for consumers when deciding whether to purchase food products made using innovative technologies are taste and texture, and cost. However, results from safety tests, labeling that explains how it has been made, and how the product is regulated were important to around a quarter of respondents. ”
Author: Joe Whitworth
Source: Food Safety News
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