The Landscape of Cell-Cultured Meat is Shifting

Cell-cultured meat has been variously touted as a solution to world hunger, a fix for the climate crisis, an alternative to animal slaughter and a guarantee of food security. At the same time, however, others see it as an unnatural and potentially dangerous addition to what we eat. With millions already invested in start-ups around the world, many hurdles remain for cell-cultured meat to succeed, as it must meet what people want, producers face some key choices and governments must decide what role to play.

One in four say they would eat it

When asked “It is now possible to create food by taking cells from a living animal or from a crop, then growing these cells into food using bioreactors/fermenters […] Would you eat these foods?” over one quarter (26.3%) worldwide said that they would be willing to eat meat produced this way.

Looking into demographics, younger adults are more likely to be open to eating cell-cultured meat. There are also variances by gender (men are more likely than women) and education (higher levels show greater acceptance). Most interestingly, the ethical/animal welfare component of cell-cultured meat means that many vegans and vegetarians are on board – over 40% of both groups say they would eat it.

Three huge cost hurdles to negotiate

While cost remains key, producers of cultivated meat can be somewhat comforted by the fact that income levels skew higher than average amongst their potential consumers. However, getting to the right price is crucial, and there are three huge challenges: the cost of the medium needed to grow cells, bioreactor cost, and the transition from pharmaceutical to food grade inputs. 

To take one of these as an illustrative example, bioreactors are a necessary part of the process of growing the meat from cells. They are also necessary for the integration of scaffolding (needed to create the structure for whole-cut products). Depending on size, costs range from USD5,000 to as high as USD500,000. In addition, the industry currently faces a "bioreactor bottleneck”: existing capacity means scaled production cannot currently be achieved.

The regional landscape has changed

As recently as 2023, the landscape looked optimistic; the US had approved cell-cultured meat for sale and other markets looked set to follow. Since then, however, the situation has become complicated.

Cultivated meat has become embroiled in the “culture wars” and a number of US states (led by Florida) have pre-emptively banned it or begun that process

^{Source: Euromonitor International}

While seeking (and receiving) permission to sell from regulators is a key part of the process, determining where facilities to create cell-cultured meat exist is perhaps a better indicator of where this nascent industry may grow – especially given the cost challenges that come with building or sourcing the necessary equipment. While the EU’s novel foods application process is often cited as a barrier, development appears to be picking up. The US still has multiple sites but now companies face an uncertain regulatory future. Overall, it is Asia that leads the way, and perhaps China holds the greatest potential: in January 2022, cultivated meat was included in the country’s Five-Year Plan, and President Xi has signalled his support for development. Food security is a key factor, with Israel, Singapore and China’s leading roles directly tied to their national concerns in this area.

What happens next?

In the short term, not much will happen in terms of consumers buying (and eating) cell-cultured meat; instead, the developments will still be moving towards that stage. More start-ups and producers will drop out as consolidation continues; a few will emerge as front-runners as investment concentrates. Restrictive situations such as the availability of bioreactors and the cost of production will slowly improve. More countries will license the food for human consumption (the UK and Israel currently looking most likely) and the situation in the US will become clearer in terms of bans.

It is in the medium and long term that the situation will shift significantly; scenario-based forecasts indicate cell-cultured meat sales ranging widely in 2050, with a key question being whether products for sale will advance beyond processed meat. An average of those forecasts indicates sales will reach over 5% of total meat sales in the latter half of the 2040s.

Learn much more about cell-cultured meat and its potential future in our report, Will People Eat Cell-Cultured Meat?