Government policy will significantly shape the trajectory of cellular agriculture including cultivated meat and precision fermentation. Understanding the policy landscape helps advocates engage strategically.
Government policy will be decisive in determining whether cellular agriculture reaches the scale needed to significantly reduce animal welfare harm from conventional farming. Supportive regulatory frameworks that evaluate novel foods on food safety evidence enable innovation and market access. Restrictive frameworks or outright bans in response to incumbent industry lobbying delay the welfare benefits of the technology. Mandatory mislabelling requirements and false consumer protection claims used to restrict cultivated meat labelling are welfare-harmful policies that deserve challenge. Advocates who engage with food policy processes can support welfare-beneficial cellular agriculture policy development.