Technological and commercial readiness of cultured meat

 

Cultured meat technology has advanced beyond the initial research and concept phase (TRLs1-4), including the basic understanding of biological processes to produce meat in vitro, such as cell culture and tissue engineering.

 

A number of companies and research institutions have successfully produced cultured meat in a laboratory setting, which includes growing muscle cells in a bioreactor and forming them into edible products. Thus cultured meat production, in general, has reached TRL 5.

 

Some companies have moved beyond the lab and produced cultured meat in environments that more closely resemble commercial production facilities, reaching TRL 6. This is a critical step in proving that the technology can be scaled up for widespread consumption.

 

Another small number of companies have reached the stage of having prototype products that are close to what could be sold commercially (TRL 7). These prototypes are used for testing and refinement before full commercialisation. The products have also reached a stage where they are available for private tasting events, including in the EU.[1]

 

Two companies have received approval for cultured meat (chicken meat) for the US market, but it is not yet available commercially (TRL 8). Israel approved the first cultured beef in 2024 (TRL 8). A cultured chicken meat product has been approved in Singapore and has been sold to consumers in a limited number of venues (TRL 8-9).  

 

Obstacles

 

The main obstacle to advancing cultured meat is scaling-up production, which would support lower costs. This requires developing new bioreactor facilities and other infrastructure. The regulatory landscape is also in development, with no cultured meat products approved on an EU market or outside of the US, Israel and Singapore globally. Cultured meat is also unfamiliar to many consumers, with uncertainty related to trust and consumer acceptance, which is important for industry to advance development of this technology. In Singapore, the CRI for cultured chicken is 1-2, while in the EU it remains at 1 since there are no products on the market yet.

 

Industrial capability

 

The production capacity and facilities for cultured meat are still in development. Pilot-scale processing facilities for cultured meat are operating worldwide, including in the EU, offering proof-of-concept capabilities to demonstrate product yield and assess costs.[2] In 2022, there were 27 such pilot-scale (or larger) facilities identified worldwide.

 

Demonstration-scale and industrial-scale facilities would enable significantly larger production volumes, but facilities at this scale are not yet operating in an EU context and there are only a small number worldwide. In 2022, Gourmey, a cultured meat startup based in France, announced plans to construct a commercial production facility in Paris.

 

Likewise, supply chain integration and scalability are also in the process of being developed, with challenges in scaling up production and sourcing fundamental ingredients. Logistics infrastructure is also a challenge, since cultured meat needs to be produced and distributed in a way that preserves its quality and safety; this infrastructure is not yet in place.

 

The technical expertise in the cultured meat industry is high, including in an EU context, with many companies employing scientists and engineers with backgrounds in cell biology, tissue engineering, and food science. Cultured meat was pioneered at the University of Maastricht and Mosa Meat is a startup spin-off from the university.[3]

 

The current industrial capability for commercialising cultured meat in the EU is still in the development stage. While there are several key players in the industry and a strong base of technical expertise, challenges remain in terms of production capacity, facilities, supply chain integration, and scalability. The TRL and CRI for cultured meat in the EU are relatively low, indicating that there are still significant gaps that need to be addressed before cultured meat can be a viable alternative to conventional meat.