Lab-Grown Meat
What people say
Lab-grown meat (cultivated meat) is the future of food. It will eliminate animal suffering, reduce land and water usage, and cut greenhouse gas emissions. Singapore and the US (FDA + USDA) have approved it. Major investments from Bill Gates, Richard Branson, and traditional meat companies like Tyson and Cargill signal the industry is serious. The narrative: regulatory wins + big money = inevitable transformation of the global food system.
What's actually true
Two companies have received US regulatory approval (Upside Foods and Good Meat, June 2023) — but neither has achieved commercial-scale production. As of mid-2025, cultivated meat is served at exactly two restaurants in the US (Bar Crenn in San Francisco, China Chilcano in DC), both as limited-time tasting menu items. Global production capacity is measured in kilograms, not tons. The core cost problem remains unsolved: growth media (the nutrient broth cells are grown in) is pharmaceutical-grade and accounts for 55-95% of production costs. Multiple startups have pivoted to hybrid products (plant-based + small amount of cultivated fat) because pure cultivated meat is economically unviable at scale. Regulatory approval is not the bottleneck — fundamental bioprocess economics are. Singapore has the most cultivated meat products available (approximately 3) despite being first to approve in 2020.
Key Evidence
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regulatory FDA/USDA Cultivated Meat Approval (June 2023)
FDA and USDA regulatory approval documents for Upside Foods and Good Meat.
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report Good Food Institute — State of the Industry Report 2024
Annual industry report with production capacity figures, investment data, and cost analysis for cultivated meat.