Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of considering the production and consumption of cellular meat as part of the National Food Strategy.

In 2019, the Government asked Henry Dimbleby to carry out an independent review of the food system. Part one of that review was published in July 2020 and contained recommendations in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic with chapters on trade, health and food insecurity. Part Two of the report will be published in Summer 2021 and will include a root and branch examination of the food system. The findings of the review will inform the Government’s food strategy, to be set out in a Food Strategy White Paper due to be published in the 6 months following the final report.

The Food Strategy White Paper will support the development of a food system that is sustainable, resilient and supports people to live healthy lives. We recognise the importance of innovative approaches and novel technologies in this pursuit, and already have a base for the Food Strategy to build upon through the 2013 Agri-Tech Strategy and Defra’s Agricultural Transition Plan which was published on Monday 30th November 2020.