Early 2023 a survey was conducted involving 30 companies in the cultivated meat industry, including both producers and suppliers. The primary focus was to assess the current state of the industry’s production capabilities and to outline the projected scale-up plans over the next few years. This was done by deeply surveying industry trends related to equipment and material usage, current and future production facilities, food safety considerations and proliferation, differentiation and harvesting strategies for scale-up.
Key findings
The cultivated meat industry is scaling from R&D to production, focusing on reducing costs, optimizing bioprocessing, and addressing regulatory hurdles. Current production is limited to kilograms, but companies aim for hundreds of tons annually within three years. Key challenges include expensive growth factors, limited bioreactor scalability, and knowledge gaps in regulations. Recommendations emphasize affordable media development, innovative bioreactor design, and enhanced process control via AI and modeling. Collaboration among suppliers, researchers, and investors is critical to achieve cost-competitive and sustainable growth.