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How transparency and testing can make cultivated meat mainstream
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Thursday, 07 August, 2025, 16 : 00 PM [IST]
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Ashwin Bhadri
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Cultivated meat, also known as lab-grown or cell-based meat, is no longer a futuristic idea. It's becoming a real part of our food system. In 2022, the global cultivated meat market was valued at USD 246 million, and it’s expected to grow to USD 6.9 billion by 2030, according to Grand View Research. In parallel, interest from consumers and investors is growing, driven by concerns over sustainability, food safety, and ethical sourcing. Yet despite this momentum, one challenge looms large: consumer trust.
For most people, the idea of eating meat that hasn’t come from a farm or animal raises questions. Is it safe? Is it healthy? What’s actually in it? Unlike traditional meat, which comes with familiar systems of farming and supply chains, cultivated meat relies on a new process, one that happens in labs and bioreactors. And when processes are unfamiliar, scepticism naturally follows.
To build confidence in cultivated meat, two factors stand out: thorough testing and transparent communication.
Why testing is the first step to acceptance
Unlike conventional meat, which comes from familiar sources like farms and supermarkets, cultivated meat is grown in sterile labs where animal cells multiply in nutrient-rich solutions. While this approach reduces environmental impact and avoids animal slaughter, it raises new questions about safety. Rigorous testing is essential to ensure products are free from pathogens, antibiotics, and hormones, and meet nutritional and sensory standards. Testing includes microbiological screening, allergen analysis, chemical residue checks, and nutrient profiling.
It’s not just about regulatory compliance; it’s about building trust. Singapore, the first country to approve cultivated meat, set a global benchmark with its stringent safety protocols through its Singapore Food Agency (SFA). The first product to be approved, cultivated chicken from Eat Just, underwent extensive testing and transparency in sharing cell line and manufacturing data. This established a clear precedent: for cultivated meat to gain public acceptance, it must meet high, verifiable scientific and regulatory standards consistently and transparently.
Transparency is the key to consumer confidence
While testing ensures safety, transparency builds trust and understanding, especially with emerging food technologies. Consumers don’t just want a label saying “cultivated meat”; they seek clarity on the cells used, feed sources, genetic modifications, and nutritional comparisons with conventional meat.
Forward-looking companies are responding by opening labs, running education campaigns, and simplifying complex processes. This isn't just marketing, it's advancing food literacy. The success of plant-based brands shows that sharing science and stories fosters acceptance. Cultivated meat must adopt a similar approach, underpinned by even greater scientific clarity and openness to earn long-term consumer confidence.
Personal and cultural dimension
Food is personal, rooted in culture and tradition, and shifting to lab-grown meat can feel like a loss of identity. That’s why transparency has to go beyond ingredients and nutrition labels. It should also reflect values. Companies must show how cultivated meat supports larger goals like climate action, ethical food sourcing, and public health.
Notably, over 70% of global antibiotics are used in animal farming, fueling drug-resistant bacteria. Cultivated meat avoids antibiotics entirely, a clear health benefit. Yet, challenges remain: high costs, scalability issues, and unclear regulations. Acknowledging these realities builds trust. Consumers don’t expect perfection, but they value honesty and progress, and that’s what the industry must consistently communicate.
Role of social media, policy, and public dialogue
In today’s connected world, public opinion can shift with a single video or tweet. A short explainer on how cultivated beef is grown, or a side-by-side comparison with conventional meat on safety, can do more to inform people than a hundred-page report. That’s why storytelling, through social media, events, or partnerships, must be part of the transparency playbook.
Governments also have a role. They need to create clear, science-backed regulations and make them public. Public-private collaborations can help develop universal safety standards and educational tools. Independent institutions like universities or food safety labs can act as neutral validators, strengthening consumer confidence in the system as a whole.
Ultimately, cultivated meat is not just about food innovation. It’s about trust. Testing builds the foundation for that trust. Transparency keeps it alive.
Just as consumers once had to learn to trust organic labels or GM-free claims, they will need to understand and believe in the cultivated meat journey. The difference today is that we have more tools, technology, data, and global reach to guide them through it.
The real question is not if consumers will embrace cultivated meat, but how quickly and how responsibly we can earn their trust. With science at the core and empathy in communication, we have a chance to reshape the future of food, for the better.
(The author is founder & CEO Equinox Labs)
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