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The Food Standards Agency is looking to appoint 1 supplier to deliver a systematic literature review project on ’Bioavailability of Food Supplements’ on a contracted basis from June 2026 until March 2028. Consumer use of food supplements has increased in recent years, accompanied by a growing trend for manufacturers to market novel formulations that claim enhanced oral bioavailability compared to conventional forms. These formulations include lipid-based systems such as liposomes, micelles, emulsions, and nanoparticles, as well as non-lipid approaches like particle size reduction through micronisation and co-formulation with polysaccharides. Although these products are often promoted as improving absorption, the supporting evidence remains limited and uncertain. This uncertainty is further increased by the vast variety of formulation types and the lack of data characterising their physicochemical properties. Consequently, the potential impact of these formulations on bioavailability and on toxicological risk, remains unclear and may pose concerns, particularly for under‑characterised active ingredients and vulnerable populations. The Chemical Risk Assessment Unit (CRAU), through its risk assessments and engagement with other regulators, has identified emerging risks from food supplements intake and has sought advice from the Committee on Toxicity (COT) on several actives. The lack of information on how different formulations influence the toxicological profile of active substances remains a significant data gap in the risk assessment of food supplements. Addressing this gap is critical for ensuring robust risk assessments and informed policy decisions. In their recent report on novel formulations designed to increase food supplement bioavailability, the COT recommended that novel formulations and their active agents should be assessed for toxicokinetics on a case by case basis, using model systems that account for species differences in metabolism (COT, 2025). The COT emphasised that the feeding state (fed versus fasted) is a key determinant of bioavailability and must be critically considered when comparing across formulations. Furthermore, the suitability of acceptable daily intakes (ADIs) and other health based guidance values (HBGVs) for unformulated food supplements should always be reviewed when applied to formulations designed to increase bioavailability, and approaches for relating HBGVs to differences in bioavailability should be assessed and applied on a case by case basis (COT, 2025). The work proposed in the specification contributes to the FSA Corporate Priority EG1 – Risk Analysis informed by evidence and aligns with FSA Areas of Research Interest on novel approach methods to assess chemical hazards and impact on consumers.
£300,000
Contract value
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 claim to have benefits in protein quality, environmental impact, and improved animal welfare implications. The FSA is seeking a supplier to deliver an allergenicity focussed literature review of CCPs under a 6-month contract. The work will investigate the knowledge gap in the allergenic risks of CCPs. An indicative budget of up to £40,000(excluding VAT) has been allocated to this project within the 2026/2027 financial year. Tenderers should ensure proposals remain within this budget envelope offer and demonstrate value for money.
£40,000
Contract value
This research project being tendered links to the FSA Strategy 2022-2027. This strategy is based around the FSA’s mission, food you can trust, alongside three key pillars: food is safe; food is what it says it is; food is healthier and more sustainable. The proposed project focuses on the first pillar, that food is safe, and by generating a new scientific case study focused on the assessment of mixtures of chemicals using in-silico and in-vitro New Approach Methodologies (NAMs), it will enable us to further protect consumers from chemical hazards and enable consumers to be empowered to make informed choices around the food that they eat. The Chemical, Radiological and Allergy (Food Hypersensitivity) Research and Evidence Programme (ChemRA REP) is a wider programme of work, under which this research project will sit. This research programme covers one of the FSAs Areas of research interest | Food Standards Agency (ARI) and sits under research priority two: chemical, radiological, and food hypersensitivity risks. Chemicals are present in food and feed whether they are added intentionally, the result of contamination, malicious intent, or simply naturally occurring. The main aim of this Research Programme is to conduct research on these chemicals, which may be present in food and feed. This research aligns with the FSA’s second Area of Research Interest on chemicals, specifically addressing the question: What new analytical tests or novel approach methods can we use to assess these hazards and their impact on consumers?’. The goal of this project is to use in-silico and in-vitro NAMs to assess the hazards from chemical mixtures in food, and their impact on consumers, from assessing human relevant endpoints. The project also aims to develop cross government collaboration by aiming to improve data systems, encourage collaborative working, and enhance scientific capability across government departments.
£670,000
Contract value
Developing our understanding of UK consumers exposure to food additives, and other chemical contaminants, is broad and complex; an important starting point is to increase the evidence base through the investigation of novel approaches to assessing consumer exposure. The actual use levels of additives in foods may be below the maximum permitted levels and, therefore, accurate consumer exposures to additives in foods are not easy to estimate. Additionally, consumers may be exposed to additives or other chemical contaminants through different sources, and other factors such as dietary preferences, brand loyalty and variable occurrence levels of contaminants, can often make the estimation of actual consumer exposure challenging. This research project aims to develop analytical methods to support potential future projects aimed at better understanding actual UK consumer exposure to food additives and other chemical contaminants through biomonitoring. The aim is to develop a package of analytical methods designed for the measurement of biomarkers, and approaches to estimate dietary intakes, from the measurements, of exposure for chemicals of strategic interest to the FSA. The FSA is seeking to commission a research partner with the capability and capacity to research and define biomonitoring approaches, derive and validate suitable analytical chemistry methods and determine toxicological approaches for the estimation of intakes of chemicals. The FSA will require the research partner to identify suitable urinary biomarkers for the substances (of groups of substances) of interest to the FSA, and to develop and validate analytical methods that can reliably and quantitatively measure them in human urine. The FSA will further require, for each chemical of interest, an approach for estimating the systemic exposure and theoretical dietary intake of the relevant substances, from the urinary excretion of the corresponding biomarkers.
£200,000
Contract value
This research project being tendered links to the FSA Strategy 2022-2027. This strategy is based around the FSA’s mission, food you can trust, alongside three key pillars: food is safe; food is what it says it is; food is healthier and more sustainable. The proposed project focuses on the first pillar, that food is safe, and by generating a new scientific case study focused on the assessment of mixtures of chemicals using in-silico and in-vitro New Approach Methodologies (NAMs), it will enable us to further protect consumers from chemical hazards and enable consumers to be empowered to make informed choices around the food that they eat. The Chemical, Radiological and Allergy (Food Hypersensitivity) Research and Evidence Programme (ChemRA REP) is a wider programme of work, under which this research project will sit. This research programme covers one of the FSAs Areas of research interest | Food Standards Agency (ARI) and sits under research priority two: chemical, radiological, and food hypersensitivity risks. Chemicals are present in food and feed whether they are added intentionally, the result of contamination, malicious intent, or simply naturally occurring. The main aim of this Research Programme is to conduct research on these chemicals, which may be present in food and feed. This research aligns with the FSA’s second Area of Research Interest on chemicals, specifically addressing the question: What new analytical tests or novel approach methods can we use to assess these hazards and their impact on consumers?’. The goal of this project is to use in-silico and in-vitro NAMs to assess the hazards from chemical mixtures in food, and their impact on consumers, from assessing human relevant endpoints. The project also aims to develop cross government collaboration by aiming to improve data systems, encourage collaborative working, and enhance scientific capability across government departments.
£670,000
Contract value