Cultured Meat Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, 2021-2031

The Global Cultured Meat Market is projected to expand significantly, rising from USD 300.86 Million in 2025 to USD 805.19 Million by 2031, representing a CAGR of 17.83%. Cultured meat involves the production of genuine muscle tissue through controlled cell cultivation, effectively eliminating the need for traditional animal slaughter. This market is fundamentally bolstered by the critical necessity to improve global food security and the obligation to reduce the substantial environmental impact of conventional livestock farming. Unlike fleeting consumer fads, these systemic drivers target core production inefficiencies and ethical concerns surrounding animal welfare, with the Good Food Institute reporting in 2024 that the global industry included 155 companies dedicated to cultivated meat and seafood.

Nevertheless, the sector faces substantial obstacles related to high production costs and the technical difficulties inherent in scaling biomanufacturing processes. These challenges are intensified by the immense capital required to build the industrial infrastructure essential for achieving price parity with conventional meat products. Consequently, to attain widespread commercial viability and market adoption, the industry must successfully navigate and resolve these significant financial and engineering barriers.

Market Drivers

The market landscape is being fundamentally transformed by progressive regulatory approvals and government backing for commercialization, which are establishing necessary legal frameworks for entry. As nations vie for food sovereignty, regulatory authorities are transitioning from pilot programs to full commercial clearances, thereby boosting investor confidence.

A crucial development took place in the Asia-Pacific region, a leader in global adoption; according to GFI APAC's June 2025 article 'BREAKING: Regulators approve cultivated meat sales in Australia,' Food Standards Australia New Zealand officially authorized a cultivated quail product, positioning Australia as the newest jurisdiction to approve these novel foods. This momentum aids in setting safety standards that streamline future applications and lower entry barriers.

Concurrently, rapid progress in cellular agriculture and bioprocess scalability is tackling the critical issue of price parity, with industry players moving from bench-scale models to industrial-grade manufacturing. Leveraging advanced bioreactor designs to increase yields, this shift toward high-density production is vital for expanding beyond niche markets. For example, as noted in the same June 2025 GFI APAC report, the startup Vow achieved a major milestone by producing over 538 kilograms of cultivated Japanese quail in a single harvest. Despite these technical achievements, the financial environment remains conservative; the Good Food Institute reported in 2025 that the sector raised $139 million in the prior year, indicating a strong emphasis on operational viability.

Market Challenges

The principal obstacle hindering the global cultured meat market is the massive capital intensity needed to advance from pilot-scale research to full industrial manufacturing. Although the technology to create cell-based meat is established, the expense of building necessary infrastructure - specifically large-scale bioreactors and processing plants - remains prohibitively high. This financial strain stops companies from reaching the economies of scale required to lower unit costs to levels competitive with conventional livestock. Without the capacity for low-cost mass production, these products remain premium niche items, significantly restricting accessibility for the general consumer and stalling market penetration.

Compounding this funding difficulty is a tightening investment climate that has limited the resources available for commercial expansion. According to the Good Food Institute, cultivated meat and seafood companies secured $139 million in 2024, a figure that highlights the difficult funding environment for such capital-heavy projects. This lack of access to capital compels firms to postpone facility construction and operational upscaling. As a result, the industry faces an extended timeline to achieve price parity, which directly suppresses the sector's overall growth rate and commercial feasibility.

Market Trends

Strategic market entry through cultivated pet food has become a crucial commercial pathway, enabling companies to sidestep the lengthy regulatory processes required for human food products. By focusing on the pet nutrition sector, startups can secure early revenue and validate their bioprocessing technologies while meeting the demand for ethical, high-protein ingredients. This strategy allows manufacturers to operate within a different regulatory framework, effectively reducing risks on the road to wider adoption. For instance, Food Navigator reported in July 2024 in 'Meatly gets UK approval for use of cultivated meat in pet food' that the startup received regulatory clearance to sell cultivated chicken for pets, representing the first authorization of its kind in Europe.

Simultaneously, the rise of B2B supply chain models for growth media and scaffolding is transforming the industry's cost structure by moving away from vertical integration toward specialized procurement. Rather than maintaining costly in-house media formulation facilities, companies are increasingly obtaining food-grade inputs from established industrial partners to help reach price parity. This shift promotes the standardization of high-performance, low-cost growth media necessary for large-scale production. According to a July 2024 article in Feed Business MEA titled 'Nutreco opens world's first dedicated cell feed production facility,' the company produced an initial commercial batch of 50 kilograms of cell feed at its new specialized plant, which is designed to scale up to hundreds of kilograms weekly to support the industry.

Key Players Profiled in the Cultured Meat Market

• BioFood Systems Ltd.
• Simple Foods Inc.
• Shiok Meats Pte Ltd.
• Supermeat The Essence Of Meat Ltd.
• Meatable B.V.
• Mosa Meat B.V.
• Fork & Good, Inc.
• Future Meat Technologies Ltd.
• Upside Foods, Inc.
• Eat Just, Inc.

Report Scope

In this report, the Global Cultured Meat Market has been segmented into the following categories:

Cultured Meat Market, by Source:

• Poultry
• Beef
• Seafood
• Pork
• Duck

Cultured Meat Market, by End-Use:

• Nuggets
• Burgers
• Meatballs
• Sausages
• Hot Dogs

Cultured Meat Market, by Distribution Channel:

• Direct-to-consumer
• Foodservice
• Retail

Cultured Meat Market, by Region:

• North America
• Europe
• Asia-Pacific
• South America
• Middle East & Africa

Competitive Landscape

Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in the Global Cultured Meat Market.

Available Customization

The analyst offers customization according to your specific needs. The following customization options are available for the report:

• Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players (up to five).

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