Cultured meat (also referred to as cell-based meat or cultivated meat) involves in vitro meat production in a laboratory using animal cells. 

It represents an entirely new approach to producing alternative proteins, as compared to algae, insects and microbial fermentation, for which there are historical precedents as a food source.

The method for producing cultured meat encompasses several key phases:

• cell sourcing, where muscle or stem cells are taken from live animals;
• cell cultivation, where these cells are cultivated in a controlled environment to proliferate and differentiate;
• and tissue formation, where cells mature to form muscle tissues resembling traditional meat.

The approach has evolved rapidly in recent years, driven by advancements in cell biology and biotechnology.

Cultured meat is not yet authorised in the EU, but has been authorised for consumption in Singapore since 2020, and in the US in 2023. In both countries, this is for cultured chicken, produced by one company for the market in Singapore. In the US, two companies have received approval to produce cultured chicken, but these products are not yet commercially marketed.

Although recent commercial and regulatory attention has been focused on chicken, the original application of the method was for beef, which is remains a major focus of industrial development. Applications for pork, fish and seafood are also being explored.

There are no known applications of cultured meat, or animal cell technology more generally, for feed[1], and none is produced for this purpose[2].