Cultivated Meat: Pioneering the Future of Sustainable Protein

Cultivated meat, also known as cultured meat, represents a groundbreaking advancement in food production. By culturing animal cells in vitro, manufacturers can produce edible tissue without the ethical concerns of animal cruelty or the environmental strain caused by traditional livestock farming.

The concept of lab-cultivated meat is not a new one, but it’s only in the last decade that new technological advances have made cell-cultivated meat a viable reality. The field of regenerative medicine provided sophisticated tissue engineering techniques that allowed researchers to successfully cultivate animal tissue under laboratory conditions. 

A pivotal moment came in 2013 when Dutch pharmacologist Mark Post unveiled the world’s first lab-grown hamburger. The revolutionary achievement, which cost 250,000 euros to produce, demonstrated the potential of cultivated meat to reshape food production.

Since then, cultivated meat has emerged as a key driver in the alternative protein market, alongside plant-based and precision-fermented proteins. The industry has seen rapid growth, fueled by technological advancements, rising investor interest, and government support.

The rise of lab-cultivated meat coincided with a growing market for alternative proteins, including plant-based proteins and precision-fermented ingredients. Cultivated meat is one of the most important food tech trends in the wider alternative protein market. 

The global cultivated meat market was valued at USD 246.9 million in 2022. It is projected to develop at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 51.6% from 2023 to 2030. As technologies improve and scalability reduces product costs, investment in the cultivated meat sector is expected to grow exponentially. 

The Basic Science: How is Cultivated Meat Made?

The science behind lab-cultivated meat is both fascinating and innovative, replicating natural processes under carefully controlled conditions. The journey begins with selecting animal cells—often stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)—that can proliferate and differentiate into muscle, fat, or connective tissues. These cells are then cultured in a nutrient-rich medium designed to simulate the environment inside a living organism, enabling rapid growth.

To form the desired structure, cultivated meat relies on scaffolds—sophisticated frameworks that mimic the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) found in animal tissues. These scaffolds act as molds, encouraging cells to organize into three-dimensional structures similar to traditional meat. Designing effective, affordable, and ideally edible scaffolds remains a challenge, but recent advancements have significantly improved their performance.

In parallel, innovations in bioreactors—large-scale vessels that provide optimal conditions for cell growth—and growth media have driven down production costs. For perspective, the world’s first lab-grown burger, produced in 2013, cost €250,000 and took two years to create. Just four years later, Mosa Meat began experimenting with 25,000-liter bioreactors, drastically reducing the cost of growth media and fat production.

While the cost of cultivated meat remains higher than farmed meat, the gap is narrowing. Researchers are also focused on improving taste and texture to match conventional meat. A significant milestone was achieved in 2021 when Future Meat Technologies produced a four-ounce chicken breast for just $4.

These advancements reinforce the belief that cultivated meat can soon compete with traditional animal-derived meat, offering a scalable, ethical, and sustainable solution to meet global protein demands.

Environmental and Ethical Impacts

Traditional meat production places a significant strain on the planet’s resources. Around 50% of existing global arable land is dedicated solely to growing feed for livestock, while a single cow can require up to 80 liters of water daily. Beyond this, livestock farming is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, and the transportation of live animals and carcasses adds to the industry’s carbon footprint.

Cultivated meat offers a transformative solution. Smart factories for cultivated meat production can serve as models of sustainability by operating on hybrid power grids, adopting circular economy principles, and minimizing resource use. With optimal scalability, a kilogram of cultivated meat is projected to produce only a fraction of the carbon emissions generated by conventional meat production.

Ethical concerns are also driving the shift towards cultivated meat. Unlike traditional farming, cultivated meat eliminates the need for animal slaughter, addressing longstanding animal welfare issues. While some consumers question the ethics of producing living tissue from cells, these concerns largely stem from unfamiliarity and can be mitigated through transparency and education.

Health benefits further add to the appeal. Cultivated meat is produced in sterile conditions, removing the need for antibiotics—a common practice in conventional farming. Researchers are also exploring opportunities to enhance cultivated meat’s nutritional profile by improving fat content and adding supplements like Omega-3 oils. Early studies suggest cultivated meat could potentially offer a healthier alternative to even the highest quality organic and free-range meat.

By reducing environmental strain, improving animal welfare, and enhancing health outcomes, cultivated meat positions itself as a sustainable and ethical choice for the future of food.

Regulatory Landscape and Consumer Acceptance

Cultivated meat, as a novel food product, faces significant regulatory hurdles before reaching consumers. In the European Union, the approval process and the future of cultivated meat is overseen by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), while in the United States, manufacturers must secure approval from both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). These multi-agency requirements can slow market entry, creating additional challenges for producers.

In contrast, jurisdictions like Singapore and Israel are leading the way with progressive regulatory frameworks. Singapore’s Food Agency (SFA), for instance, has streamlined the approval process, enabling companies to bring cultivated meat to market in as little as two years. This progressive approach has already fostered demand for products like cultivated chicken and quail. International companies, such as Australian-based Vow and Dutch-based Meatable, have gained regulatory approval to sell their products in Singapore—a promising glimpse into the future of cultivated meat acceptance.

However, regulatory success is only half the battle. Consumer acceptance remains one of the industry’s most significant challenges. While global food trends have embraced cultural and regional diversity, the idea of meat grown in a bioreactor requires a shift in perception. 

Overcoming this hesitation demands strategic marketing, transparency in product labeling, and clear communication of the ethical and environmental benefits. Displaying carbon footprints, nutritional advantages, and the humane production process can build trust and foster consumer loyalty.

Ultimately, jurisdictions like Singapore and Israel demonstrate how clear regulatory pathways and public education can help cultivated meat gain mainstream acceptance. With progressive policies, transparent communication, and a focus on consumer needs, cultivated meat has the potential to redefine global protein production.

Economic Viability and Industry Challenges

The earliest cultivated meat was prohibitively expensive and represented an astonishing technological breakthrough rather than a commercially viable product. In just a decade, however, scalability has grown exponentially, and current production costs are now a tiny fraction of what they once were. Lowering the cost of cultivated meat remains a top priority for manufacturers. Researchers are focused on improving the efficiency of growth mediums, as well as optimizing scaffolds and bioreactors to enable maximal cell growth.

Israeli company Aleph Farms is at the forefront of this progress, aiming to achieve cost parity between cultivated beef steaks and traditional animal-derived steaks within five years.

A major advantage for cultivated meat producers lies in their simplified supply chains. Once the initial cell sourcing is complete, cell-cultivated meat companies can operate independent, self-contained smart plants. The core requirements are growth mediums and a reliable power source. In comparison, conventional meat production demands new livestock, animal feed, large amounts of water, veterinary care, and numerous other costly, labor-intensive inputs before reaching the market.

In addition to its advancements in cultivated meat development, Aleph Farms is pioneering an ambitious carbon net zero supply chain by 2030. The company has partnered with ENGIE Impact to achieve its bold sustainability goals, setting a benchmark for the future of sustainable meat production.

Investment Opportunities

The cultivated meat industry has crossed important regulatory and scalability thresholds in the last few years and is gradually gaining a foothold in the global food market. There are now over 170 cultured meat companies in 30 countries and they raised $226 million in 2023. 

Investment in the sector to date stands at $3.1 billion – 83% of those funds were allocated in the last 3 years. Crucially, the cultured meat industry is attracting investments from national governments and is even attracting the interest of space programs that see cultivated meat as a source of protein for astronauts on long-term space stations. 

Even at a time when VC funding is becoming harder to access and investment criteria more stringent and demanding, the cultured meat investment landscape is buoyant. The sector has enormous disruptive potential – to the point where it can potentially transform the global agricultural system. A recent UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report recognises the environmental benefits of cultivated meat and official backing for the industry is growing. 

Conclusion and Future Perspectives

The next decade will be crucial for the cultivated meat sector. If cultivated meat companies can achieve competitive pricing and perfect the taste of cultivated meat, the sector can expect sustained growth. In some ways, the emerging cultivated meat industry is comparable to the electric vehicle industry. 

Both bring proven environmental benefits and depend on cutting-edge technologies, but face issues with costs and consumer acceptance. The deciding factor for the cultivated meat industry is likely to be the level of official backing that it receives. Progressive regulatory systems and public funding for R&D, as well as government grants, can give the industry a huge boost. 

The other determining factor for the future of cultivated meat is public acceptance and consumer demand. The onus is on food producers to demonstrate the benefits of cultivated meat and meet consumer expectations in terms of cost, taste, and quality. All the indications are that these are achievable goals within the next decade. 

There is a unique opportunity to free up a good portion of the arable land currently used to grow animal feed, reduce the negative environmental consequences of obsolete farming practices, and guarantee our growing world population a resilient supply of affordable lab-cultivated meat and seafood proteins.