Addressing challenges of cultivated meat

Addressing food safety is a top priority

Among the top challenges and priorities for regulators and the cultivated meat industry will be establishing clear and harmonized regulatory pathways that ensure food safety. 

In the United States, FDA is responsible for ensuring the safety of foods available in the U.S. market. Together with USDA, FDA will  regulate the sale of cultivated meat to ensure consumer safety (seafood will be regulated by FDA exclusively). Following the completion of FDA’s rigorous pre-market safety review for each cultivated meat product, those products complete the same processes conventional meat companies follow to ensure safe product production and handling prior to sale. For both UPSIDE Foods’ and GOOD Meat’s cultivated chicken, the successful completion of FDA’s pre-market safety review in 2023 demonstrated that it is at least as safe as conventional chicken. Before any products reach consumers, robust protections exist, including stringent FDA and USDA inspections and approval processes identical to those for the conventional meat industry.

In 2024, Israel’s Ministry of Health approved the first cultivated beef product produced by Aleph Farms, and the Singapore Food Agency approved cultivated quail produced by Vow, bringing the total number of cultivated meat products to pass rigorous safety evaluations to four. As of mid-2024, additional cultivated meat products are under regulatory review in at least nine countries or regions, including the European Union, the United States, Singapore, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and South Korea. Each of these countries has established robust regulatory pathways for cultivated meat, while others around the world are still in development. 

Drawing on the expertise of leading scientists from 15 countries, the FAO’s recently published Report on Food Safety Aspects of Cell-Based Foods adds to the growing body of literature on cultivated meat manufacturing, food safety, and regulation. The in-depth report can assist companies and countries in developing and harmonizing evidence-based approaches to risk management and encourages greater collaboration and information sharing to advance work in this area.

While contamination is normal and expected in R&D phases when lots of variables are being tweaked and optimized, the production environment is far more stringent and specifically designed to prevent contamination. As demonstrated by data submitted to the FDA from UPSIDE Foods and GOOD Meat, successful production runs for cultivated meat test negative for pathogens such as Salmonella and result in significantly lower microbial counts compared to conventional chicken. Consumers and retailers can rest easy knowing that cultivated meat products that reach store shelves and tables will be safe for consumption.

Controlling for contamination, especially as it relates to cost and scaling, is one of the critical issues the industry must get right. As more companies move toward commercialization, GFI will be closely monitoring this space, and if needed, ready to fund future research that could address this or any other challenge critical to advancing the field. We also stand ready to assist regulators in developing responsible standards to ensure these products meet consumers’ expectations and needs.

Addressing resources, efforts, and the future outlook of cultivated meat

Like any transformative technology or industry in its early days, there remain legitimate questions and uncertainties for the cultivated meat industry to tackle and overcome. Channeling resources, time, and attention toward research efforts to resolve these uncertainties is key to building a more stable and just protein supply. 

As the industry tackles big questions, progress marches on. Across the areas of science, innovation, talent, and public and private sector support, major advances are growing momentum for this still early-stage industry.

• Major path to market milestones: In the U.S., FDA completed its first premarket reviews for cultivated meat products (UPSIDE Foods’ and GOOD Meat’s cultivated chicken). This brought cultivated meat one step closer to consumers’ plates—a major de-risking signal for investors. In Singapore, where commercial sales of cultivated meat were first approved in 2020, GOOD Meat’s cultivated chicken (now approved for sale with serum-free media) continues to be served in a retail outlet, allowing consumers to cook at home with cultivated meat for the first time. In January 2024, Israel became the third country to advance the approval of cultivated meat sales, and the first to advance the approval of cultivated beef.
• Industry growth, including involvement by conventional meat and food companies: There are now at least 174 cultivated meat companies across over 30 different countries in every major world region. In addition, there are more than 70 diversified companies with involvement in the cultivated meat industry, including the world’s top three meat companies (by revenue).
• Advances in science, technology, and the research ecosystem: Ground-breaking research on cell lines, cell culture media, and scaffolding are demonstrating the path to cost reduction and efficient scaling. New and updated life cycle assessments found that cultivating meat is a more efficient form of meat production compared to conventional meat, resulting in less land use and reduced air and water pollution. Universities worldwide launched seven new alternative protein courses and one certificate program.
• Government and philanthropic investment: Israel launched the largest government-backed cultivated meat consortium to date, involving the country’s top food producers and academic labs. The Netherlands announced $65 million in funding for cultivated meat and precision fermentation, the world’s largest-ever public investment in the cellular agriculture field. The United States directed nearly $6 million in research funds to alternative protein R&D and included cultivated meat in its National Strategy for Advanced Manufacturing and Bold Goals for U.S. Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing reports. California approved the first-ever state investment in cultivated meat research, directing $5 million to R&D across three universities.
• Growing consumer awareness and interest: Consumer insights and market analysis point to growing international interest in cultivated meat adoption. Companies and consumers continued to coalesce around “cultivated” nomenclature: More than 30 companies in Asia Pacific signed a Memorandum of Understanding agreeing to use “cultivated” terminology in English and its cognates in other languages. A recent consumer research study commissioned by GFI also supported “cultivated” nomenclature.

Despite these milestones, the cultivated meat sector still has miles to go to reach its full potential. Funding and workforce constraints still pose two of the biggest bottlenecks for scientific innovation and scaling. As companies continue to innovate, and as more talent, research funding, and investments flow into alternative proteins, the entire sector will accelerate, offering the world a far more sustainable food future.