WASHINGTON — Although the cultivated meat sector is experiencing roadblocks, small signs of progress are evident in the sustainable approach to meat production, according to The Good Food Institute’s 2026 State of the Industry report on cultivated meat, seafood and ingredients.
The report chronicled a challenging year for cultivated meat manufacturers. The number of cultivated meat companies identified in 2025 was 140, down from 155 in 2024. While the decrease is partially due to companies shutting down, several companies within the sector were acquired. Nexture Bio, for example, acquired Matrix F.T., Gourmey merged with Vital Meat to form Parima, and Fork & Good acquired Orbillion Bio.
Raising funds also was challenging. In 2025, companies primarily within the cultivated meat sector raised $73.9 million, according to GFI, down from $144 million raised in 2024. The group also found fundraising within the sector shifting to smaller-size investments. The sector’s largest investments included a $29 million raise by Aleph Farms, a $17.6 million round from Mosa Meat and $11 million by BlueNalu.
Cultivated meat company numbers have fallen, but progress is still being made.
Mission Barnes, a San Franciso-based cultivated pork manufacturer, launched its cultivated pork meatballs at Berkeley Bowl retailers.
“This partnership gives us a unique opportunity to study how consumers encounter cultivated meat outside the R&D lab or focus group setting,” said Sean Cash, an economist and the Bergstrom Foundation Professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. “Understanding how people experience and talk about these novel products in everyday environments will be key to shaping responsible and transparent innovation across the food system.”
Wildtype, a San Franciso-based cultivated seafood company, served its cell cultured salmon at a US restaurant.
In Wisconsin, GEA established a $20 million tech center to further scale the alternative protein industry, including an expanded focus on cell cultivation.
Outside of the United States, Vow grew cultivated meat production to a 20,000-liter scale at a facility in Sydney, Australia.
Investments in global production capacity also advanced in 2025 with the establishment of China’s largest cultivated meat pilot plant, which features a 2,000-liter bioreactor. Plans also are in place for an India-based facility dedicated to scaling biotechnology and food innovations, and a partnership between Hoxton Farms and Mitsul Chemicals intended to scale biomanufacturing infrastructure in the Asia Pacific region.
Support and consumer interest
Federal financial support of cultivated meat research also suffered during the year. For example, the United States announced a $2 million cut to all federal research funding for cultivated meat development, and the number of National Science Foundation grants was reduced by 25%.
The cuts forecast the United States to lose its title as the largest funder of research and development of cultivated meats to China in 2026. In May 2025, China invested $555 million in advancing biomanufacturing infrastructure development in the country.
Challenges also arose at the state level. Indiana and Texas both announced a two-year moratorium on cultivated meat sales. Mississippi, Montana and Nebraska banned sales entirely. By the end of 2025, seven states had bans on cultivated meat sales in effect.
Investments in biotechnology are increasing in the Asia Pacific region.
| Photo: ©MICROGEN – STOCK.ADOBE.COMThe Institute for Justice is challenging Florida’s ban and Texas’ moratorium.
“Anyone who wants to try cultivated meat should have the opportunity to do so,” said Uma Valeti, founder of Upside Foods, a manufacturer of cultivated chicken. “Our mission is to offer a delicious, safe, and ethical alternative to conventional meat, and we believe Floridians deserve the freedom to make their own food choices. Cultivated meat represents a significant advancement in food technology with the potential to improve supply chain resilience and we are committed to making it available to all.”
While the cuts impacted the cultivated meats category, notable regulatory advancements were made.
The California Jobs First Regional Investment Initiative invested approximately $1 million into a research facility at University of California[KN1] Agriculture and Natural Resources in Davis, California. The investment is intended for developing cultivated meat and fermentation-derived foods. Additionally, the state set aside $1 million for the University of California, Davis’ Integrative Center for Alternative Meat and Protein, to support cultivated meat research.
Regardless of regulations, consumer interest is pivotal to development of the cultivated meat category.
GFI found that less than half of consumers were aware of cultivated meat options with only a small percentage of the group willing to try the meat alternative. While consumers are most familiar with cultivated meat being referred to as “lab-grown,” the consumer data suggested that referring to the meat as “cultivated” would serve as beneficial in raising consumer interest in buying products in the category.
Consumers showed increased interest in products within the category after learning that it did not require killing animals and that cultivated meat was “nutritionally comparable” to conventional meat.
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