Scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) Barcelona have developed a method to grow self-organizing bovine tissues from embryonic stem cells, aiming to improve the texture of cultivated meat. Current techniques struggle to recreate the complex structure of meat like steak, often requiring separate preparation and assembly of different cell types. The new approach […]

The Thai Food and Drug Administration (Thai FDA) launched a public consultation on September 15, 2026, proposing Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) requirements for foods derived from cultured animal cells, also known as cultivated meat. These rules aim to address unique food safety challenges in production, such as aseptic conditions and cell quality, which are not […]

A study examined the role of fat in meat, noting that fat content affects juiciness, tenderness, and flavor. Researchers compared conventional pork fat with cultivated pork fat, finding similar consumer preferences. They then explored whether differentiating cultivated cells into fat cells enhances flavor. While differentiation improves resemblance to animal-derived fat, it increases production time and […]

The European Commission has outlined a new agri-food research strategy prioritizing protein diversification and expanded fermentation manufacturing capacity, with a focus on securing private and public investment for emerging food technologies. The strategy aims to support healthy and sustainable diets while raising public awareness of biotechnology-derived ingredients. It highlights a funding gap—termed the “second valley […]

Consumer research by Oxford Brookes University found that Sun Bear Biofuture’s yeast-derived cocoa butter substitute is nearly indistinguishable from conventional cocoa butter, with participants only correctly identifying the alternative in one of five tested products, including food and cosmetics. Independent testing by the University of the Arts London’s Cosmetics Science Department confirmed no performance difference […]

The Netherlands and China are collaborating on alternative proteins—including cell-based agriculture and cultured meat—as part of a modern, technology-driven agricultural strategy. In the Netherlands, the Ministry of Agriculture has presented a 10-year framework for agri-food innovation, highlighting the role of alternative proteins in addressing future shortages. The country is home to the world’s first experimental […]

The European Commission’s new strategy for food research and innovation highlights the potential of alternative proteins and fermentation to address climate change, food security, and sustainability. It recognizes the benefits of these technologies but does not allocate specific funding to improve their taste, texture, and cost. The strategy aims to scale up fermentation capacity and […]

Czech biotechnology company BeneMeat has paused its UK expansion plans due to uncertainty over a proposed UK-EU sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement and its potential impact on cultivated meat regulation. The company, which has already invested in the UK, submitted a novel food application, and prepared tastings and production discussions, now awaits clarity on whether […]

Limited access to cell lines is a significant challenge for cultivated meat research. GFI is working to expand access and support the development of new cell lines.

September is here, and with it comes the return of cultivated meat to the headlines—no longer just a lab experiment, but a sector that’s growing, stumbling, and occasionally making regulators scratch ...

Regulation (EU) 2026/1739 establishes standardized definitions for meat and meat products across the European Union. This legislation reserves specific terms, such as beef, chicken, and steak, exclusively for animal-derived products. These restrictions apply to plant-based foods as well as products derived from cell or tissue cultures, microorganisms, fungi, and algae. By creating these definitions, the […]

The Chinese government is investing in cultivated meat research to enhance national food security, viewing the technology as a potential solution to its status as the world’s largest meat importer. While Beijing aims to establish a bio-based industry that could eventually supply a significant portion of domestic protein, the sector faces substantial obstacles. High production […]

Upside Foods has withdrawn its 50 million dollar offer to purchase a large cultivated meat production facility in North Carolina previously owned by the insolvent firm Believer Meats. The facility, which was designed to produce 26 million pounds of cultivated chicken annually, has remained inactive since Believer Meats ceased operations due to significant debt and […]

Paleo, a company founded in 2020, has secured new funding to advance the commercialization of its precision fermentation technology. The firm produces myoglobin, a protein that provides the color, flavor, and aroma associated with conventional meat, for use in plant-based alternatives. This ingredient is designed to be free of GMOs and is typically used in […]

A recent report from EIT Food highlights that the primary challenge for biotechnology-derived proteins is not technological development, but consumer trust. Research involving 215 European participants indicates that acceptance depends on whether consumers perceive these products as safe, healthy, and familiar. While many associate high-tech production with artificiality, consumers often evaluate the final product independently […]

In 2026, Singapore approved cultivated duck and beef, marking the first time regulators cleared products beyond poultry and seafood. While Singapore leads in the number of authorizations, other countries including the United States, Israel, and Australia have also established regulatory frameworks. Despite these approvals, no cultivated meat product is currently sold at a commercial scale. […]

Researchers at the University of Queensland have developed a method to reduce the production costs of cultivated meat by using microalgae. The process involves growing microalgae using waste products from meat cell cultivation. These algae consume leftover nutrients and provide oxygen to the meat cells. The harvested algae are then processed to replace expensive growth […]

Cultivated meat is being developed as an alternative to traditional livestock farming to address global food security and environmental concerns. By producing animal protein without large-scale slaughter, this technology aims to reduce the environmental impact of food production. While researchers have made progress in cell engineering, culture media development, and bioprocess optimization, the industry faces […]

Ever After Foods, a company focused on producing cultivated chicken and beef, has acquired the seafood technology firm Fishway. This merger follows a successful technical collaboration that confirmed the compatibility of their respective production platforms. Through this acquisition, Ever After Foods gains access to Fishway’s aquatic cell lines, scientific expertise, and methods for creating animal-component-free […]

Berlin-based startup Cultimate Foods has ceased operations four months after filing for bankruptcy. The company, founded in 2022, specialized in producing cell-cultured fat designed to improve the flavor of plant-based meat products. Despite developing proprietary technology and securing seed funding, the firm was unable to obtain the necessary capital to continue its business. This closure […]

The United States Food and Drug Administration has proposed a rule to make notifications for Generally Recognized as Safe substances mandatory. Currently, manufacturers can independently determine that an ingredient is safe without informing the agency. Under the new proposal, companies would be required to notify the FDA of the basis for their safety conclusions regarding […]

US startup Offbeast has developed a manufacturing process to create whole-cut blended meat products consisting of 50% animal protein and 50% plant-based ingredients. The technology, which evolved from the company’s 3D printing and fiber assembly research, aligns meat and plant fibers to replicate the muscle structure of traditional steak. This process is designed to integrate […]

Swedish food technology startup Millow has secured €2 million in funding to scale the production of its mycelium and oat based protein. The company uses a dry fermentation process to create a meat alternative that requires minimal water and processing. By utilizing modular units, Millow aims to produce over 430 tonnes of product annually by […]

The world’s first commercial sale of cultivated chicken has been announced. A restaurant in Singapore will begin serving it this Saturday!

The Singapore Food Agency has granted regulatory approval to Aleph Farms for the sale of its cultivated Thin-Cut Steak. This decision makes Aleph Farms the first company authorized to sell cultivated beef in two separate markets, following its previous clearance in Israel. The company utilizes a business model that relies on regional manufacturing partnerships rather […]

Researchers from Tufts University have developed a method to create cultivated meat using porous scaffolds made from zein, a protein derived from corn. These scaffolds provide a structure that mimics the physical properties and composition of traditional meat, such as rump roast, while supporting the growth of bovine muscle cells. The study demonstrated that these […]

Representatives from the Czech Meat Processors Association recently visited the pilot production facility of BeneMeat to examine cultivated meat technology. The meeting focused on the potential for cultivated cells to serve as a complement to conventional meat production rather than a replacement. Both organizations discussed the current regulatory landscape, the importance of transparent communication, and […]

The South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has announced new formal standards for cell-cultured processed foods to replace existing temporary guidelines. This regulatory update establishes a clear framework for product approvals and creates a specific category for these items to account for their unique manufacturing processes. The government is prioritizing food safety by […]

Patents play a dual role in technology sectors by protecting private investments while facilitating knowledge sharing. In fields like cultivated meat, where rapid progress is necessary to address societal challenges, companies face a tension between securing exclusive rights and contributing to collective goals. This study explores how organizations manage this trade-off through four hybrid strategies: […]

China is repurposing its existing pharmaceutical and fermentation manufacturing infrastructure to produce alternative proteins. This transition is driven by a need to address domestic economic pressures, industrial overcapacity, and government mandates to improve long-term food security. By leveraging established supply chains, experienced technical talent, and lower capital expenditure costs, Chinese firms can scale production more […]

The French research initiative Ferments du Futur has received 19.1 million euros in additional funding from the National Research Agency for the 2026 to 2028 period. This public private partnership aims to industrialize fermentation technologies to improve food production and sustainability. The project involves various research institutions and private companies working to enhance the nutritional […]

The Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein and Imperial College London have launched a 12-month accelerator program to assist food technology startups in moving from laboratory research to commercial production. This initiative addresses the difficulty of scaling new food innovations by connecting entrepreneurs with industry partners including Danone, Mars, Cargill, and Kerry. These corporations will define […]

Researchers have developed a new scaffold system to improve the quality of cultivated meat, which often suffers from a lack of integrated fat. By creating a bigel structure that combines oil and a gelatin hydrogel, the study addresses the challenges of incorporating fat into lab grown muscle tissue. This method uses specific emulsifiers to stabilize […]

This webinar will explore the critical decisions that determine whether promising technologies become commercially viable businesses. Drawing on real-world experience across biomanufacturing and fermentation, the discussion will examine how companies can evaluate scale-up pathways, optimize production economics, and select the right manufacturing strategies to improve their chances of long-term success. Source: From Pilot Plant to […]

NFX UK, a network of experts supporting the novel foods sector, has secured $650,000 in funding from Coefficient Giving. Established by Reading Scientific Services Ltd, the organization assists alternative protein startups by providing regulatory science expertise, analytical research, and guidance on market access. The network aims to streamline the approval process for products like cultivated […]

The Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland has released four guidance documents to assist businesses in navigating the regulatory requirements for cell-cultivated products. Developed under the Cell-Cultivated Products Sandbox Programme, the new guidance covers food hygiene, scientific requirements for market authorization, advice on improving application quality, and regulations for conducting taste trials. This initiative […]

The Indian government, through its policy think tank Niti Aayog, has released a ten-year roadmap to expand the national bioeconomy. The plan aims to increase the sector value from 195 billion dollars to 691 billion dollars by 2035, with a long-term goal of reaching 2.6 trillion dollars by 2047. The strategy involves establishing six national […]

The cellular agriculture industry, which focuses on producing lab-grown meat, is currently facing a period of reduced investment following years of rapid growth. Ahmed Khan, a consultant and founder of the market insights firm CellAgri, examines this trend in a recent TEDx talk. He suggests that forming strategic partnerships across different industries may provide a […]

The availability of appropriate cell lines for cultivated seafood research and product development remains quite limited. Last year, GFI surveyed and interviewed researchers involved in the development and use of aquatic animal cell lines to better understand the technical challenges they face and what strategies they have found effective. The findings from that project have […]

The Food Biomanufacturing & Cellular Agriculture Conference 2026 will convene global experts to explore how biotechnology is transforming the future of food production. As the global population grows and environmental pressures mount, the definition of “agriculture” is expanding beyond the field and into the bioreactor. The Food Biomanufacturing and Cellular Agriculture Conference track at EPA […]

The Protein Diversification Academy has published its inaugural position paper, which defines protein diversification as a strategy to balance reliance on traditional and emerging food sources. The document argues that current dependence on animal-based products is unsustainable given global population growth and suggests that diversifying protein categories will create a more resilient food system. The […]

Mosa Meat has received €875,000 in repayable development capital from Invest International to support its transition from technology development to international commercial deployment. This funding will assist the Dutch company in navigating regulatory processes and establishing supply chain partnerships in markets including the United Kingdom, the United States, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Mosa […]

The biotechnology startup Jellatech has entered a strategic partnership with the South Korean medical aesthetics company Hugel to develop and commercialize cell-based human collagen. Jellatech produces bioidentical human collagen by culturing cells from a small skin biopsy in bioreactors, a process that avoids the use of animal sources. This collaboration grants Hugel exclusive global rights […]

The cultivated meat industry has reached a significant milestone as PARIMA and Vow successfully completed a multi-ton production run using a 22,000-liter bioreactor. This achievement, supported by analysis from Arthur D. Little, indicates that the primary technical barriers to large-scale production are largely resolved. Industry experts now suggest that achieving production costs below €10 per […]

The cultivated meat industry, which produces animal protein from cells rather than slaughtered livestock, has faced significant challenges in establishing a clear regulatory framework. Because the technology involves both biological cell culture and food production, it initially fell into a jurisdictional gray area between the FDA and the USDA. Research by Alicia DeSantola and her […]

Australian cultivated meat company Vow has appointed former chief of staff Alex Andrews as its new chief executive. Founder George Peppou has transitioned to an executive director role to lead a new startup focused on applying the company’s cell culture technology to sectors beyond food, including pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and leather alternatives. This leadership change follows […]

The alternative meat industry currently struggles to compete with conventional meat due to a focus on theoretical innovation rather than practical implementation. Christie Lagally Bradburn argues that while research is necessary, the industry must prioritize the large-scale deployment of technology to achieve price, taste, and volume parity. By adopting a structured framework like the Technology […]

The cultivated meat industry is currently facing significant financial and operational challenges following a period of high expectations. After a peak in 2021, investment has declined sharply, leading to the closure of several prominent companies and the suspension of large-scale facility projects. Despite these setbacks, the sector continues to make technical progress, with firms shifting […]

Deco Labs, a startup originating from Tufts University, has developed a plant-based protein isolate called cAlbumin to reduce the production costs of cultivated meat. Cultivated meat manufacturing currently relies on expensive animal-derived or recombinant albumin to support cell growth. By upcycling rapeseed meal, a byproduct of canola oil production, Deco Labs provides a cost-effective, animal-free […]

A new report from the European Environment Agency examines the environmental and strategic implications of Europe’s current protein consumption. While average protein intake in the EU exceeds nutritional requirements, the system relies heavily on animal products, which contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution, and land use. The current model also depends on imported […]