What’s next for cultivated meat?

The industry will have to contend with three major hurdles — cost, taste and scale — before the product becomes a regular part of consumers’ grocery lists.

When the United States Department of Agriculture issued grants of inspection to cultivated meat purveyors Upside Foods and Eat Just in June, the decision marked the day that many in the food tech world had been waiting for. But now, a costly business model as well as consumer acceptance and education are what the industry is looking to tackle next.

“As we scale this technology, we need to bring down the cost. The three main things we need to do are to make much larger vessels in which to grow the cells, reduce the cost of the feed that grows the cells, and increase the density of the cells in each production run,” Josh Tetrick, co-founder and CEO of Eat Just said.

As companies work to scale production in a difficult economic environment, the secret to a profitable and sustainable future may lie in collaboration and partnership with traditional meat companies.

Gen Z has a taste for cultivated meat

A survey from consumer insights platform Veylinx in 2022 found that Gen Z may be most agreeable to trying cultivated meat. The survey found 87% of Gen Z consumers are interested in trying alternative meats including plant-based and cultivated.

When the United States Department of Agriculture issued grants of inspection to cultivated meat purveyors Upside Foods and Eat Just in June, the decision marked the day that many in the food tech world had been waiting for. But now, a costly business model as well as consumer acceptance and education are what the industry is looking to tackle next.

“As we scale this technology, we need to bring down the cost. The three main things we need to do are to make much larger vessels in which to grow the cells, reduce the cost of the feed that grows the cells, and increase the density of the cells in each production run,” Josh Tetrick, co-founder and CEO of Eat Just said.

As companies work to scale production in a difficult economic environment, the secret to a profitable and sustainable future may lie in collaboration and partnership with traditional meat companies.