Nils-Gerrit Wunsch
Research expert covering food & agriculture in the UK & Europe
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Whether or not a market for this product is available is mostly dependent on regulatory approval of the European Food Safety Authority as well as FDA and USDA-FSIS, who have yet to approve such a product for the U.S. and EU markets. A first forecast for the worldwide market for cultured meat in 2026 expects a market of 28.6 billion U.S. dollars. China is forecast to be the leading market for cultured meat products.
But why is meat production in this way even desirable? Cultured meat promises a wide variety of benefits. Cultured meat is expected to produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions due to the fact that it will cut animal methane emissions. It notably reduces the need for antibiotics due to being grown in sterile conditions. Furthermore, the slaughter free production of meat via cell cultures has the potential to increase animal welfare significantly. Drastic reductions in land and water use are also expected. However, all of these benefits have not yet materialized and it is uncertain to which degree they will. Furthermore, the industry is still working on price, correct texture quality, consumer acceptance, and its industrial capabilities for large scale production.
Consumer awareness and openness
Interestingly, after explaining what cultured meat is, a sizable number of consumers were willing to buy such a product when it arrives in store. In Europe, 36.8 percent of French and 55.7 percent of German consumers said they would be willing to purchase cultured meat. In Poland, 34 percent of consumers stated they would be willing to buy cultured meat. Comparable questions yielded smaller numbers for the willingness to eat cultured meat in Asia, but numbers were still sizeable. Over a quarter of Chinese consumers were willing to eat cultured meat. For a new, previously unavailable product, that has not been marketed these numbers are already significant. So much so, that forecasts expect 30 percent of the worldwide meat market in 2040 will be made up of cultured meat products, while another significant portion will be made up of plant-based meat products.The possibilities of cultured meat
To produce cultured meat, animal stem cells are taken which produce muscle cells. These cells are provided the necessary nutrients for growth and given cues to foster cell configuration. On an industrial level, bioreactors, similar to brewery tanks, will be used to scale up the process from its laboratory basics.But why is meat production in this way even desirable? Cultured meat promises a wide variety of benefits. Cultured meat is expected to produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions due to the fact that it will cut animal methane emissions. It notably reduces the need for antibiotics due to being grown in sterile conditions. Furthermore, the slaughter free production of meat via cell cultures has the potential to increase animal welfare significantly. Drastic reductions in land and water use are also expected. However, all of these benefits have not yet materialized and it is uncertain to which degree they will. Furthermore, the industry is still working on price, correct texture quality, consumer acceptance, and its industrial capabilities for large scale production.
