In May 2026, the lab-grown meat industry is experiencing a mixed landscape of major breakthroughs, bankruptcies, and regulatory pressures.
- The companies Meatly in the UK and SuperMeat in Switzerland have raised ÂŁ10 million and $6 million, respectively, to expand their production capacity, while the Berlin-based startup Cultimate Foods has filed for bankruptcy due to difficulties related to scaling up to industrial levels.
- Pet food is emerging as the first concrete commercial market in Europe and Singapore, thanks to initiatives by brands such as Coolty Meat and Friends and Family Pet Food.
- China, the Netherlands, and Germany are structuring their public investments and technology roadmaps to establish themselves as major hubs for cellular agriculture and food sovereignty.
- In the United States, the Fair Labels Act, supported by the livestock industry, seeks to ban the use of meat terms such as beef or chicken for plant-based and cultured proteins.
- Academic and private research is focused on the complexity of replicating cellular textures as well as on reducing production costs, as exemplified by the partnership between California Cultured and UC Davis for synthetic cocoa.
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