GFI’s head of industry: What is stopping the cultivated meat sector fulfilling its potential?

The cultivated meat market has long been touted as having the potential to help countries meet climate goals, create jobs, and change the way we consume food. But scaling up production and hitting the mainstream remains challenging for the sector.

Despite this, strides are happening. Cultivated meat pioneer Mosa Meat recently filed its first application for EU market approval. Meanwhile, a quarter of Japanese consumers who were recently surveyed said they would consider eating cultivated eel “at any price” in a country where eel is revered.

Last year, a survey commissioned by the nonprofit think tank the Good Food Institute Europe (GFI Europe) also found that nearly 70% of consumers in Portugal were in favor of cultivated meat being approved for sale if food regulators find it safe and nutritious. More than 16,000 consumers across 15 European countries, including Spain, Germany, and Belgium, were surveyed, with most of the cohort overwhelmingly in favor of cultivated meat.

Food Ingredients First sits down with Carlotte Lucas, head of industry at GFI, to learn more about the sector’s barriers and future opportunities. The organization aims to improve the global food system and address negative impacts by encouraging the adoption of alternative proteins. With its connections to a large network comprising organizations and companies throughout cultured food, the GFI occupies a unique space in an ever growing, complex industry. 

What are the benefits of cultivated meat?
Lucas: Cultivated meat could help to diversify our protein supply, boosting food security, driving green economic growth, and reducing climate impacts.

Peer-reviewed research suggests cultivated meat could require up to 90% less land than conventional beef, meaning it could help enable 21% of European domestic farmland to be used to boost domestic food production, as well as cutting the climate impact of meat by up to 92% and reducing air pollution by up to 94%.

This food can bring important economic benefits. Analysis has found that – with the right support – cultivated meat could be worth up to €85 billion (US$89 billion) to the EU economy and create up to 90,000 new highly-skilled jobs in the bloc by 2050. 

A recently published study has found that cultivated meat, along with plant-based and fermentation-made foods, could significantly contribute to Germany’s economic output and create up to 250,000 jobs by 2045 if these foods receive significant investment and regulatory support.

Why is it still so challenging to make cultivated meat at scale?
Lucas: To scale up production and bring down prices, governments must invest in open-access research to overcome many of the technical barriers that still prevent the commercialization of cultivated meat. This includes reducing the cost of cell culture media (the nutrients cells need to grow), increasing the availability of cell lines, and improving scaffolding – used to recreate the complex fibrous texture seen in conventionally produced meat. 

Another problem is that the large-scale facilities needed to ramp up production don’t yet exist, and many of the smaller companies that still dominate this field face challenges securing funds to build facilities. Because of this, it’s critical that strategic partnerships are formed between start-ups and larger businesses that have the resources and expertise to support cultivated meat companies in their scale-up journey.

We’ve seen exciting developments such as the recent launch of Maastricht’s Cultivate At Scale, which was developed by a consortium including the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature and aims to reduce the risk associated with scaling up by removing the need for small companies to invest in costly infrastructure.

Mosa Meat recently filed its first application for EU market approval. (All image credits: Mosa Meat).

More governments now need to recognize the vital role that food innovation can play in their national green growth strategies and invest in similar facilities to help ensure Europe can compete with other regions.

How does it compare to conventional meat?
Lucas: Cultivated meat aims to deliver chicken, pork, beef, and seafood that is indistinguishable from the meat we eat today using fermentors (like those used for brewing beer) instead of through animal agriculture.

Mosa Meat’s recent application for regulatory approval of its cultivated beef fat product in the EU points to another exciting opportunity — that cultivated meat has the potential to be an important ingredient, giving plant-based products a genuine meaty flavor and encouraging greater consumer adoption of these foods.

Are there any great examples in the market you know of who are doing interesting things?
Lucas: Cultivated meat has leapt forward since Dutch scientist Dr. Mark Post unveiled the world’s first cultivated patty just over a decade ago, and more than 190 companies globally are working on cultivated meat. Many of them are developing an exciting array of products capable of fitting in with people’s food cultures and going far beyond the burgers and chicken nuggets that were the focus of early research.

For example, French start-up Gourmey submitted an application to EU regulators last year for authorization of its cultivated foie gras, the UK’s Ivy Farm is working in partnership with food producers Finnebrogue to develop cultivated wagyu beef, and European companies are developing cultivated seafood dishes such as octopus, tuna and sea bass.

Where do you see the future of cultivated meat heading, specifically in the coming five to ten years?
Lucas: Start-ups and researchers will continue to develop a wide range of sophisticated dishes, but it’s important to remember that cultivated meat remains at an early stage. To make it affordable and accessible to everyone, the food industry and governments need to invest in the open-access research needed to bring down prices and scale up production. 

Our recent analysis has found that the UK has invested £75 million (US$94 million) in developing and scaling up the production of cultivated meat, along with plant-based and fermentation-made foods, in the National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre.

While this is a welcome development, we’ve also seen opposition elsewhere — particularly in Italy, which controversially banned cultivated meat following a debate fueled by misinformation.

In order to unleash the many advantages of this food, larger businesses in the food supply chain need to recognize the opportunities presented by cultivated meat and invest the resources needed to help start-ups scale up production.