Meat (r)evolution?

Abstract

Cultured meat is meat produced with the help of cell and tissue culture techniques that has high potential to conquer the protein market as a more sustainable and animal ethical alternative to conventionally produced meat. In addition to challenges with upscaling, cultured meat has not yet been approved as a “novel food” on the European market. Governments in other regions of the world are more open to novel meat. For example, the first approval of in vitro chicken meat for human consumption was granted in Singapore in December 2020. Meanwhile, stakeholders around the world are working hard to further develop culture media, scaffolds, bioreactors and other parameters in the production process, for example, to improve the efficacy of serum-free culture media for large-scale industrial production. In January 2022, scientists from the Netherlands achieved another milestone in developing a serum-free medium that supports the differentiation of bovine satellite cells for cultured meat production. In addition to the technical and legal challenges in production, consumer acceptance is crucial for a successful market entry. Even if the majority of consumers in Europe would be willing to try cultured meat, the formation of positive attitudes and the reduction of fear and disgust towards it are key factors for the acceptance of this novel food.