Cell-cultured meat is lauded by some as a potential solution to world hunger without the damage of animal farming. It is attacked by others as unnatural and unnecessary with sky-high costs. Some markets are lining up to ban it, while some are throwing investment behind it. Yet the key part of potential success is whether consumers will embrace it as part of their diets when (or if) it hits the shelves. Thus, this report examines the simple question: “Will people eat cell-cultured meat?”
This report comes in PPT.
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.
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.
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.
As recently as 2023 the landscape looked optimistic as 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.
The size of the prize is vast. Total global volume sales of meat reached over 290 million tonnes in 2024. 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 5.5% of total meat sales in 2046.
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