Scope
Reference
C382068
Description
The main objective of the FSA's strategy for 2022-2027 is to ensure that food is safe, is what it says that it is and that it is healthier and more sustainable. With this, our role is to protect consumers from unacceptable risks linked to the consumption of food. Under the regulated products research programme, this includes producing evidence to support thorough, well informed, risk assessments for novel ingredients proposed for the UK market.
Cell cultivated products (CCPs) and alternative proteins produced by biomass or precision fermentation are an emergent food sector around the world. The FSA CCP Sandbox programme is a two-year programme designed to inform regulatory actions that strike the right balance between supporting innovation and ensuring consumers safety. CCPs products claim to have benefits in protein quality, environmental impact, and improved animal welfare implications. This proposed piece of work is attempting to address a key gap in our understanding of the genetic drift of the production cell line occurring during the production of these products, and how producers will be able to effectively demonstrate that they have mitigated any potential hazards. These outputs will then be used to reduce the uncertainties in our future risk assessments and will help facilitate the authorisation of products that we can be confident are safe for use under the proposed uses.
Contract start Date:07/11/2025
Contract 1. Genetic Drift impact on the Safety of Cell Cultivated Products
Supplier
Contract value
- £42,890.85 excluding VAT
- £51,469.02 including VAT
Below the relevant threshold
Date signed
12 November 2025
Contract dates
- 13 November 2025 to 27 March 2026
- 4 months, 15 days
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 73110000 - Research services
- 73200000 - Research and development consultancy services
Procedure
Procedure type
Below threshold - open competition
Supplier
Fera Science Limited
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PDGX-4332-VPXR
York Biotech Campus Sand Hutton York
York
YO411LZ
United Kingdom
Email: tracker@fera.co.uk
Region: UKE22 - North Yorkshire CC
Small or medium-sized enterprise (SME): No
Voluntary, community or social enterprise (VCSE): No
Contract 1. Genetic Drift impact on the Safety of Cell Cultivated Products
Contracting authority
Food Standards Agency
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PJRM-6866-LYYX
YO1 7PR
York
YO1 7PR
United Kingdom
Region: UKE21 - York
Organisation type: Public authority - central government