Cultivated meat is reshaping how we produce and consume protein by growing real meat from animal cells in controlled environments. This approach reduces production time, lowers costs, and minimises harm to animals. Startups in this space are making impressive progress, with some achieving regulatory approvals and others cutting production costs significantly. Here’s a quick look at 10 key players:
- Meatable: Produces cultivated pork and beef in just four days using advanced cell technology.
- Upside Foods: Focuses on cultivated chicken with FDA and USDA approvals for commercial sales in the US.
- GOOD Meat (Eat Just): Uses serum-free growth media to create cultivated chicken and hybrid products.
- Steakholder Foods: Utilises 3D bioprinting to craft structured meat cuts, including beef and pork.
- Gourmey: Specialises in cultivated foie gras with low production costs.
- Clever Carnivore: Develops whole-cut beef products and plans to expand into other meats.
- Orbillion Bio: Produces exotic meats like bison and elk with efficient, non-GMO methods.
- Aleph Farms: Focuses on premium whole-cut beef steaks grown from cow cells.
- Believer Meats: Prioritises scalable chicken production with high-yield cell lines.
- Mosa Meat: Known for its cultivated beef burger, now expanding to other beef products.
These companies are addressing challenges like scaling production, regulatory compliance, and consumer education, paving the way for cultivated meat to become more accessible.
1. Meatable
Meatable has emerged as a frontrunner in the Cultivated Meat industry, making impressive strides from its base in the Netherlands. The company is reshaping how meat is produced by drastically cutting production times, setting itself apart through efficiency and innovation.
Technology and Methods
At the heart of Meatable's progress is its proprietary Opti-Ox technology, which slashes cell differentiation time by half. In collaboration with Nutreco, the company has also reduced cell feed preparation from several days to just 30 minutes by using food-grade ingredients. Co-founder and CTO Daan Luining highlighted this achievement, saying:
"This is truly a remarkable moment for Meatable and the Cultivated Meat industry as a whole, as we just made the fastest process in the industry that much faster." [1]
Product Range
Meatable’s focus on developing a diverse product range has led to the creation of cultivated pork sausage and beef products. Their cultivated pork sausage was showcased at tasting events in Singapore and will take centre stage at the London National Science Museum's exhibition on 24 July 2025.
Production Efficiency and Scale
These technological advancements have significantly improved production efficiency and scalability. By cutting cell differentiation time from eight days to four, Meatable has halved its bioreactor requirements, leading to lower production costs. To expand its reach globally, the company is adopting an asset-light, licensing-based business model.
At the World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, Meatable presented its cultivated meat at the Dutch Pavilion's "Common Ground". Reflecting on this milestone, Founder and Chief Innovation Officer Daan Luining remarked:
"It feels like we're standing on the shoulders of giants, bringing real, sustainable meat to the world stage just as past pioneers did with their breakthroughs. We're ready to show how our technology can change the world for the better." [2]
2. Upside Foods
Upside Foods stands as a trailblazer in the world of American Cultivated Meat, achieving major regulatory approvals that place it at the forefront of this emerging industry. Headquartered in California, the company has evolved from a research-driven initiative into a market-ready operation, bringing cultivated meat products closer to consumers. Its commitment to innovation has paved the way for significant advancements in technology and production.
Technology and Methods
At the heart of Upside Foods' operations is an advanced cell cultivation platform designed to produce genuine meat without the need for animal slaughter. By cultivating animal cells in carefully controlled bioreactors, the company replicates the taste, texture, and quality of traditional meat. This method not only preserves the natural characteristics of meat but also eliminates ethical and environmental challenges tied to conventional meat production.
To ensure safety and consistency, the company employs automated systems and standardised protocols, creating a scalable process that can be adapted to multiple production sites.
Product Range
Upside Foods has zeroed in on cultivated chicken products as its initial market focus. Its flagship offerings include cultivated chicken pieces that closely resemble traditional chicken in taste and quality, making them an accessible choice for consumers.
In addition to these products, the company is also targeting the premium market by developing high-end cultivated meat options. These products are aimed at exclusive restaurants and discerning customers, helping to build trust and familiarity with cultivated meat technology.
Progress Toward Market Launch
A major milestone for Upside Foods was becoming one of the first companies to secure approval from both the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for commercial sales of cultivated meat. This achievement reflects years of rigorous safety assessments and regulatory compliance.
The company has already initiated limited commercial sales, partnering with select restaurants and foodservice providers. These early launches not only introduce consumers to cultivated meat but also provide valuable insights into market acceptance and operational performance.
Production Efficiency and Scale
To support its ambitions, Upside Foods has built a cutting-edge production facility in California. Equipped with advanced bioreactors and automated systems, this facility demonstrates the company's ability to produce cultivated meat at a commercial scale while keeping labour costs in check and ensuring consistent quality.
The company is also focused on reducing production costs through process improvements and strategic collaborations. Its growth strategy includes expanding existing facilities and forming partnerships to accelerate its reach across different regions and product categories, laying the groundwork for broader market penetration.
3. GOOD Meat (Eat Just)
GOOD Meat, a division of Eat Just, focuses on creating cultivated meat using cutting-edge cellular agriculture techniques.
Technology and Methods
The process begins with carefully selecting top-quality animal cells. From there, GOOD Meat uses serum-free growth media, avoiding any animal-derived ingredients, and relies on advanced bioreactor technology to grow the meat. This approach highlights GOOD Meat's contribution to reshaping the cultivated meat industry in 2025.
4. Steakholder Foods
Steakholder Foods is making waves in the cultivated meat industry by blending cutting-edge technology with a broad focus on product variety. Their approach goes beyond the basics, aiming to deliver a wide range of protein options that closely resemble traditional meat in taste, texture, and appearance.
Technology and Methods
At the heart of Steakholder Foods' innovation is 3D bioprinting technology, which allows them to craft structured meat products with impressive precision. This technique enables them to control details like muscle-to-fat ratios and even the shape of the final product, mimicking the complex textures of conventional meat cuts. Unlike companies that primarily focus on ground or minced products, Steakholder Foods works with multiple animal cell lines, giving them the flexibility to create a wide array of meat alternatives that stand out for their authenticity.
Product Range
The company's product line is impressively diverse, covering beef, chicken, pork, fish, and seafood. Their development efforts span everything from raw materials like biomass and ground products to structured whole cuts. In 2023, Steakholder Foods expanded into cultured pork, including products like bacon, pork chops, and ham. They also began focusing on cultivated chicken fat, which can be integrated into plant-based products to improve taste and texture. Another key area for the company is hybrid food applications, such as meatballs, which combine cultivated animal cells with plant-based ingredients for a unique and versatile offering.
Production Efficiency and Scale
In November 2023, Steakholder Foods achieved a significant milestone by cutting the cost of in-house growth media for bovine cells by 75%. This cost reduction opens the door to more affordable hybrid products, which mix cultivated cells with plant-based materials. Not only does this approach help lower production costs, but it also offers improved environmental benefits compared to fully cultivated products, making it a practical and sustainable pathway to market entry[3].
5. Gourmey
Gourmey has carved a niche for itself in the cultivated meat industry by specialising in premium poultry products, with a particular emphasis on cultivated foie gras. This French startup has gained attention not only for its unique offerings but also for achieving notably low production costs while delivering high-quality culinary experiences.
Technology and Methods
Gourmey employs cutting-edge techniques to refine its production processes. A key innovation is its use of an avian digital twin, developed in collaboration with DeepLife, which helps optimise every stage of production [4]. The company utilises proprietary embryonic stem cells that self-renew without the need for genetic modification. This approach eliminates the need for expensive growth factors, making their production more cost-efficient [5]. Unlike competitors that rely on biopharma-grade systems, Gourmey has adopted food-grade processes, which further reduce costs and improve scalability [5][6].
Product Range
The company’s flagship product is cultivated foie gras, created from duck and goose liver. This choice reflects a strategic focus on the premium market, where authenticity and quality are highly valued [6]. Beyond foie gras, Gourmey has plans to broaden its range, exploring additional poultry proteins and other types of meat in the future. Culinary experts have praised the product for its colour and texture, making it a standout in the fine dining sector [6].
Production Efficiency and Scale
Gourmey has achieved a production cost of €7 per kilogram - currently the lowest cost verified by third parties. Its feed costs are as low as €0.20 per litre, and the company uses 5,000-litre bioreactors (six per facility) to produce over 1,700 tonnes annually. Impressively, the capital expenditure for each facility is expected to stay under €35 million [5][6].
Progress Toward Market Launch
With over €65 million in funding and more than 50 patents to its name, Gourmey is well-positioned for a commercial launch. The company has already exceeded early production forecasts, signalling strong momentum as it moves closer to bringing its products to market [6].
6. Clever Carnivore
Clever Carnivore, a cultivated meat startup based in the UK, is dedicated to creating whole-cut beef products that replicate the texture and dining experience of traditional cuts. Their goal is to deliver the same high-quality standards consumers expect from conventional meat. As they continue to fine-tune their production techniques, the company is also gearing up to branch out into other types of meat, paving the way for a broader market launch.
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7. Orbillion Bio
Orbillion Bio has carved a niche in the cultivated meat industry with its groundbreaking approach that avoids genetic modification while achieving impressive production efficiency. Using a proprietary method, the company scales muscle and fat cells from a biopsy to create real cultivated meat, all without relying on costly growth factors.
Technology and Methods
At the heart of Orbillion's innovation is its bioware technology, a game-changer in cellular agriculture. Unlike traditional techniques, Orbillion grows cells in three-dimensional suspension rather than on flat surfaces. This approach significantly increases cell density and yield [10].
Their advanced computational models fine-tune culture conditions, enabling efficient large-scale production. A key element of their technology is a predictive modelling platform, known as the scale-up algorithm, which accurately simulates critical media and bioprocess parameters. This allows for the rapid transition of mammalian cell cultures from 2D to 3D environments, speeding up the process like never before [8][10].
"This achievement is revolutionary - not just for Orbillion, but for the future of food. Direct scaling of beef muscle and fat cells - the very building blocks of meat - without GMO, serum or expensive growth factors, allows us to deliver the most tasty, sustainable, and cost-effective cultivated meat the world has ever seen." – Dr. Samet Yildirim, Chief Technology Officer, Orbillion Bio [8]
Efficiency and Scaling
Orbillion's technology slashes production time to just 10% of the industry standard and saves approximately £800,000. Additionally, their asset-light strategy reduces capital expenditure by 40% [7][9][10].
By leveraging existing infrastructure, the company avoids the need for costly, custom-built equipment, further cutting down expenses and streamlining the path to commercialisation [7][10].
Progress Toward Market Launch
In September 2023, Orbillion achieved a significant milestone with a successful 200-litre scale-up run, producing over 4 million pounds of cultivated meat annually [10].
"With our bioware and computational platform for cultivated meat, we can scale up in a fraction of the time. Our 200‑litre run demonstrates that we can achieve in a few weeks, what takes most companies a full year." – Samet Yildirim, COO, Orbillion Bio [10]
The founders of Orbillion bring extensive experience from the biopharmaceutical sector, which they have adapted for food production to optimise processes and cut costs [8]. Their high-yield cell culture platform is designed to reach price parity with traditional beef, positioning the company as a strong contender in the race to bring cultivated meat to market [9].
8. Aleph Farms
Aleph Farms, an Israeli startup, is making waves in the cultivated meat industry by focusing on whole-cut beef. Their mission? To recreate the texture and flavour of conventional beef as closely as possible, using cutting-edge technology to grow meat directly from cow cells.
What sets Aleph Farms apart is their emphasis on authenticity. Instead of solely aiming to cut costs, they prioritise capturing the intricate details that make beef so appealing - like its marbled fat and fibrous texture. To achieve this, they use three-dimensional tissue engineering to grow complex muscle structures. The result is a steak that not only looks but also tastes and feels like traditional beef cuts, delivering the premium quality consumers expect.
9. Believer Meats
Believer Meats is at the forefront of cultivated meat production, aiming to create a scalable alternative to traditional farming. This Israeli startup has developed a unique approach to growing meat from cells, focusing on systems that can match conventional farming in both cost and scale.
Technology and Methods
The key to Believer Meats' success lies in its innovative cell line development. Unlike competitors that repeatedly source new animal cells, the company takes a one-time approach, creating indefinitely proliferating cell lines without relying on genetic modifications.
"Our lines of animal cells can grow forever without the need for genetic modifications." – Believer Meats [12]
This method not only simplifies the production process but also reduces costs and addresses ethical concerns tied to harvesting animal cells repeatedly. Their system achieves yields that are ten times higher than current industrial standards, offering a significant leap forward in efficiency. This breakthrough allows them to focus on a single product category, ensuring a streamlined and effective production process.
Product Range
Leveraging this technology, Believer Meats has chosen to concentrate on cultivated chicken, aligning with global demand and market trends. By narrowing their focus, the company aims to achieve cost-effectiveness and establish itself as a leader in this space. In 2024, their efforts to shape the future of cultivated chicken production were widely recognised, highlighting their commitment to this specific protein rather than diversifying into other meat types.
Progress Toward Market Launch
Believer Meats has also prioritised transparency in its research. The company released what experts have called "the most comprehensive study on cultivated meat production published to date", setting new standards for the industry [11]. By openly sharing production data, they’re helping to establish benchmarks that could guide the broader cultivated meat sector.
Production Efficiency and Scale
The company’s strategy revolves around achieving price parity with conventional meat. Their production system is engineered for high yields and efficiency, with the ultimate goal of producing meat at or below the cost of traditional farming methods.
What sets Believer Meats apart is its focus on scalable infrastructure rather than solely on product development. By addressing challenges like cell line stability and production efficiency, the company is laying the groundwork for large-scale commercial operations, positioning itself as a leader in the cultivated meat market.
10. Mosa Meat
Mosa Meat is a trailblazer in the cultivated meat sector, best known for creating one of the world’s first lab-grown beef burgers. Founded in 2013 by Dr Mark Post in the Netherlands, the company has been instrumental in refining the technology needed for large-scale cultivated meat production. Staying true to its roots, Mosa Meat continues to push boundaries in cell culture innovation and scaling up production.
Technology and Methods
Mosa Meat has honed its focus on developing stable cell cultures and scalable production techniques. The process centres on cultivating muscle cells in a way that mirrors the characteristics of traditional beef, while also cutting down on the use of animal-derived growth components. This approach aims to produce meat that’s both sustainable and indistinguishable from conventional beef.
Product Range
After introducing its groundbreaking cultivated beef burger, Mosa Meat is now broadening its portfolio. The company is working on other beef products that replicate the texture and marbling of traditional cuts, aiming to provide a diverse range of options for consumers.
Progress Toward Market Launch
The team at Mosa Meat is making strides in scaling up production and navigating regulatory approvals, bringing them closer to launching their products commercially.
Production Efficiency and Scale
To meet market demands, Mosa Meat is focusing on automating and standardising its processes. This ensures the production of high-quality cultivated beef while keeping costs competitive, paving the way for widespread adoption.
Company Comparison Table
Here's a quick glance at the product focus of various startups in the cultivated meat industry. This table highlights the range of offerings, from everyday proteins to more specialised options, showcasing the variety within the sector.
| Company | Primary Product Focus |
|---|---|
| Meatable | Cultivated pork and beef, with technology adaptable for species like cows, sheep, and fish |
| Upside Foods | Cultivated chicken, beef meatballs, and duck |
| GOOD Meat (Eat Just) | Cultivated chicken and hybrid products combining cultivated meat with plant-based components |
| Steakholder Foods | Premium whole cuts of meat, including steaks |
| Gourmey | Cultivated foie gras made from poultry cells |
| Clever Carnivore | Whole-cut cultivated beef |
| Orbillion Bio | High-end cultivated exotic meats, such as bison and elk |
| Aleph Farms | Premium cultivated beef steaks, with lamb, ground meat, and burger patties in development |
| Believer Meats | Cell-based products, including hamburgers, chicken breast, and kebab meat |
| Mosa Meat | Cultivated beef, including beef fat and burgers |
While some companies are focusing on widely consumed proteins like chicken, beef, and pork, others are carving out niches with offerings like cultivated foie gras or exotic meats like bison and elk.
Conclusion
The ten cultivated meat startups highlighted in this article are transforming the way we think about meat production. Each company brings its own approach to the table, from Meatable's speed-focused production methods to Gourmey's high-end cultivated foie gras. While some concentrate on familiar proteins like chicken to encourage consumer acceptance, others venture into producing exotic meats and premium cuts that traditional methods could never achieve.
These advancements are not just reshaping the global food landscape - they also present exciting possibilities for the UK. With its thriving food tech industry and growing interest in sustainable options, Britain is well-positioned to become a key player in the European cultivated meat market as regulations evolve and awareness spreads.
That said, the road from lab to dinner plate isn’t without its hurdles. These startups face the challenge of navigating regulatory processes, scaling up production, and convincing consumers who may be intrigued yet hesitant about this new type of food.
This is where platforms like Cultivated Meat Shop come in. By offering straightforward, accessible information about cultivated meat - its production, its benefits, and the products on the horizon - they help prepare the UK market for what’s to come. Instead of waiting for products to hit the shelves, Cultivated Meat Shop is fostering awareness and interest now, ensuring consumers are informed and ready when these innovations become available.
As these ten companies continue to refine their methods and gear up for commercialisation, they’re not just creating new products - they’re paving the way for a reimagined approach to meat production and consumption.
FAQs
What are the key advantages of cultivated meat over traditional meat production?
Cultivated meat brings several important benefits compared to traditional meat production. For starters, it requires much less land, water, and energy to produce, all while generating fewer greenhouse gas emissions. This makes it a far more sustainable option that could help address environmental challenges tied to conventional farming.
Another major advantage is that it removes the need for animal slaughter. This not only improves animal welfare but also provides a safer, more controlled way to produce food, with a lower risk of contamination or disease. It's a forward-thinking alternative that aligns with growing values of environmental responsibility and compassion.
How are cultivated meat startups overcoming regulatory hurdles to bring their products to market?
Cultivated meat startups are working hand-in-hand with food safety and regulatory authorities to navigate the complex landscape of approvals. Their goal? To ensure their products meet strict safety standards while fostering trust among both regulators and consumers.
To achieve this, these companies are fine-tuning their production methods to align with rigorous safety protocols. They’re also prioritising transparency in their processes, an essential step in building confidence and credibility.
A key focus area is the development of scalable production techniques. This involves improving cell cultivation methods and sourcing reliable, high-quality cell lines. By tackling these regulatory and technical challenges head-on, startups are laying the groundwork for cultivated meat to emerge as a practical and accessible choice for consumers, offering a promising alternative to traditional meat products.
What cutting-edge technologies are cultivated meat startups using to improve efficiency and lower costs?
Cultivated meat startups are pushing boundaries with cutting-edge bioreactor systems designed to improve cell growth and boost production efficiency. By refining these systems, they’re managing to bring down costs significantly. Another big shift is happening in the choice of growth media. Instead of relying on traditional options like fetal bovine serum, many companies are now turning to plant-based alternatives. These not only lower costs but also make the process more sustainable.
On top of that, tools like AI-powered cellular modelling and 3D bioprinting are stepping into the spotlight. These technologies are streamlining production processes and making it easier to scale operations. Together, these advancements are positioning cultivated meat as a practical and more affordable alternative to traditional meat, setting the stage for it to become more widely available in the future.
