The Cultured Meat Race — New Competition Arises for Europe

A couple of weeks ago, Joe Biden released an Executive Order on biotechnology and biomanufacturing
innovation. More than anything, the order brought attention back to the cultured meat industry even
though it didn’t mention the term explicitly. It did, however, give importance to improving sustainability
and land conservation as well as cultivating alternative food sources, among other things.

Biden’s move could be considered a reaction to what happened earlier this year. On January 31st, the
Chinese government released the 14th Five-Year Plan, in which cultivated meat and other technologies
like synthetic egg analogs, recombinant proteins, and even molecular food were pinpointed for R&D
investment. Officially, this was the first time alternative proteins were mentioned in a top guideline,
which certainly marks a historic moment for one of the most tempting markets in the world.

Looking back, Europe was the pioneer in the cultured meat industry. Cultured meat itself was first
developed by Dr. Mark Post around a decade ago. But cultured meat companies all over the world have
flourished since then; moreover, there have been important investments in countries like the US and
Israel, and Singapore has become the first country to approve cultured meat (or “lab-grown meat” as
they call it).

It’s expected that the European Union will authorize cultured meat by the end of this year, which means
it could hit the shelves in the year 2024. The question is: will Europe remain the pioneer in the cultured
meat industry or will it lose the race against other competing markets?

Sources:

Joe Biden’s New Nationwide Biotech Initiative Includes Nod To Cultured Meat

China’s New 5-Year Plan is a Blueprint for the Future of Meat

EU urged to be at forefront of cultivated meat research and innovation