Cultivated Meat and Animal Welfare: The Promise and Challenges of Cell-Based Protein

Cultivated meat — grown from animal cells without slaughter — offers the potential to dramatically reduce farm animal suffering, but significant challenges remain before it scales.

Key Facts

Cultivated meat received regulatory approval in Singapore (2020) and the US (2023)
Current production costs remain significantly above conventional meat but are declining rapidly
Some cultivated meat production still requires fetal bovine serum — raising welfare questions about sourcing
Land and water use in cultivated meat is estimated at 1-20% of conventional livestock production
Cell line establishment still requires initial animal use — though far fewer animals than conventional production
Several companies including Upside Foods and Good Meat have begun limited commercial sales

Welfare Considerations

Cultivated meat represents one of the most potentially transformative technologies for animal welfare — the prospect of providing meat to billions of people without requiring the suffering of billions of farm animals is genuinely exciting from a welfare perspective. But the technology is not yet welfare-neutral: fetal bovine serum used in some production processes is derived from calf fetuses, representing a welfare concern that the industry is actively working to address through serum-free media development. As the technology matures and scales, welfare improvements across the production chain will be needed to realize the full potential of cultivated meat as a welfare solution. Regulatory support and consumer acceptance will determine how quickly this potential is realized.

What You Can Do

Support companies developing cultivated meat and plant-based alternatives
Advocate for regulatory frameworks that enable rather than obstruct cultivated meat development
Stay informed about cultivated meat welfare concerns including FBS use and support companies developing serum-free alternatives
Reduce conventional meat consumption while cultivated meat scales toward cost-competitiveness
Support research institutions developing welfare-optimal cell culture media for cultivated meat production