Abu Dhabi opens pre-approval tastings for cultivated meat and novel proteins

UAE – Abu Dhabi has introduced guidelines allowing companies to conduct controlled tasting and sensory evaluation trials of novel foods, including cultivated meat and precision-fermented proteins, before securing full approval for commercial sale in the UAE.

The framework, developed by the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council (ADQCC), the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) and the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), aims to bridge the gap between product development and commercialisation while strengthening food safety oversight and investment in the region’s food technology sector.

The guidelines were unveiled at the PALT 2026 Conference during Global Food Week UAE, bringing together government representatives, regulators, investors and food industry stakeholders to examine pathways for scaling emerging food technologies.

Under the framework, companies can conduct sensory evaluations in controlled research environments to assess consumer acceptance, refine product formulations and generate data to support investment decisions and future commercialisation.

The guidelines establish requirements for safety assessments, laboratory testing, regulatory supervision and participant protection.

The ADQCC’s Central Testing Laboratory will provide technical evaluation and verification services, while the ADAFSA will review applications and authorise tasting trials.

Abdulla Al Yazeedi, acting secretary-general of the ADQCC, said the initiative would help ensure that emerging food technologies are developed and evaluated against appropriate safety and quality standards.

Attracting investment in alternative proteins

The framework forms part of Abu Dhabi’s broader strategy to develop its agri-food technology ecosystem through the AgriFood Growth and Water Abundance (AGWA) cluster.

Led by the ADIO, the initiative seeks to attract innovative food businesses, strengthen research partnerships and support the development of technologies addressing food security and resource efficiency.

The new guidelines also build on work initiated by the three agencies a year earlier to establish a regulatory pathway for alternative proteins, with the objective of reducing approval timelines by six to nine months.

Separately, the ADIO has partnered with precision fermentation companies Vivici and The EVERY Company to explore establishing a four-million-litre production facility in Abu Dhabi, supporting the development of animal-free proteins.

These developments reflect a wider shift in the food manufacturing industry towards alternative protein production, including cultivated meat grown from animal cells and precision fermentation, which uses microorganisms to produce specific ingredients and proteins.

Such technologies are attracting interest from food manufacturers seeking new ingredient sources and opportunities to diversify production, although commercial scaling, production costs and regulatory acceptance remain important challenges.

Building a future-food manufacturing hub

Abu Dhabi’s culturally diverse population also offers companies opportunities to evaluate consumer preferences across different nationalities and demographic groups before entering regional and international markets.

According to the ADIO, the AGWA cluster is projected to contribute AED90 billion (US$24.5 billion) in additional GDP and create 60,000 jobs by 2045, supported by an expected AED128 billion (US$34.8 billion) in investment.

By establishing a structured pathway for pre-approval testing, Abu Dhabi aims to strengthen collaboration between regulators, researchers and food technology companies, positioning the emirate to attract research and development activities and investment in next-generation food manufacturing.

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