The Tech Behind Cultivated Meat: When Will Lab-Grown Burgers Hit Supermarkets?

Imagine eating a real chicken breast that did not require raising or slaughtering a bird. This is the promise of cultivated meat. While this technology might sound like science fiction, it is already a scientific reality. Moving these lab-grown animal proteins from research facilities to the aisles of your local grocery store involves massive engineering hurdles, regulatory checks, and a race to bring prices down.

Here is exactly how the technology works and when you can expect to buy cultivated burgers at the supermarket.

How Cultivated Meat Technology Works

Cultivated meat (often called lab-grown or cell-based meat) is not a plant-based substitute like a Beyond Burger. It is actual animal meat. The process of making it relies on cellular agriculture, which involves growing meat from animal cells rather than raising a whole animal.

The production process breaks down into three distinct technological steps.

1. Cell Collection

Scientists start by taking a small, harmless tissue sample from a living animal. They extract specific stem cells from this sample. These cells have the natural ability to multiply and turn into different types of tissue, such as muscle and fat. Once researchers secure a strong cell line, they rarely need to return to the animal. A single cell sample can theoretically produce thousands of tons of meat.

2. The Bioreactor Phase

The extracted cells are placed into large stainless steel tanks called bioreactors. These tanks look identical to the equipment used in a traditional beer brewery. Inside the bioreactor, the cells sit in a nutrient-dense broth containing amino acids, vitamins, sugars, and proteins. This broth tricks the cells into thinking they are still inside an animal, prompting them to multiply rapidly.

Historically, companies relied on fetal bovine serum (FBS) to feed the cells, which was expensive and still relied on animal slaughter. Today, leading companies have developed entirely animal-free, plant-derived growth broths.

3. Scaffolding and Tissue Formation

If you just let cells multiply in a tank, you end up with a formless meat paste. To create textured products like steaks or chicken breasts, scientists use scaffolding. These are edible, microscopic structures (often made from plant proteins like soy or gelatin) that give the cells a framework to attach to. As the cells grow around the scaffold, they form actual muscle fibers and connective tissue.

The Companies Leading the Charge

A few specific brands have moved past the research phase and are actively building the infrastructure to sell cultivated meat to the public.

Upside Foods: Based in California, this company focuses heavily on cultivated chicken. In 2023, Upside Foods became one of the first companies to receive full approval from the USDA and FDA to sell its products in the United States.
GOOD Meat: A division of the food technology company Eat Just, GOOD Meat actually made history back in 2020 when Singapore approved its cultivated chicken bites for commercial sale. They also received US regulatory approval in 2023.
Mosa Meat: Founded by Dr. Mark Post, the scientist who created the world’s first cultivated beef burger in 2013. Mosa Meat is based in the Netherlands and focuses entirely on bringing cultivated beef to the European market.
Aleph Farms: This Israeli company focuses on cultivated beef steaks. In January 2024, Aleph Farms received regulatory approval from Israel’s Ministry of Health, marking the first time a cultivated beef product was cleared for human consumption anywhere in the world.

The Biggest Roadblocks to Supermarket Sales

You cannot currently buy cultivated meat at Walmart or Whole Foods. Before these products hit retail shelves, the industry must solve two massive problems: scale and cost.

When Dr. Mark Post debuted the first cultivated burger in 2013, it cost roughly $330,000 to produce. Today, companies have brought the cost down to the double digits per pound. However, traditional chicken breast often costs less than $3.00 a pound in a US grocery store. To compete with traditional farming, cultivated meat companies must build colossal production facilities.

Believer Meats is currently constructing a 200,000-square-foot facility in North Carolina. Once operational, this plant is designed to produce 10,000 metric tons of cultivated meat per year. Facilities of this size are mandatory to bring the price tag down to levels that average consumers can afford.

Politics also play a role in the timeline. While federal agencies like the FDA and USDA have declared these products safe, state governments are pushing back. In early 2024, both Florida and Alabama passed legislation banning the sale and manufacturing of cultivated meat within their state borders.

The Projected Timeline: When Can You Buy It?

Industry experts project a phased rollout for cultivated meat over the next decade.

Current Phase (2024 to 2026): Cultivated meat will remain limited to select high-end restaurants. Following their 2023 US approvals, Upside Foods and GOOD Meat temporarily served their chicken at restaurants like Bar Crenn in San Francisco and China Chilcano in Washington D.C. Expect small, promotional restaurant releases to continue.
Blended Products (2026 to 2028): The first items to reach specialty grocery stores will likely be blended products. These will combine 70 to 80 percent plant-based proteins with 20 to 30 percent cultivated animal cells. This strategy drastically lowers the price while providing the authentic animal fat flavor that purely plant-based burgers lack.
Mainstream Supermarkets (2030 and beyond): Fully cultivated steaks and chicken breasts that cost the same as traditionally farmed meat are still years away. Most analysts predict that true cost parity and widespread availability in standard supermarkets will not happen until the early 2030s.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is cultivated meat considered vegan?

No. Because cultivated meat is grown from actual animal cells, it is not vegan. However, many vegetarians and vegans support the technology because it does not require raising or slaughtering animals.

Is lab-grown meat safe to eat?

Yes. In the United States, both the FDA and the USDA conduct rigorous safety evaluations on cultivated meat before allowing it to be sold. They inspect the cell lines, the manufacturing process, and the final nutritional content to ensure it is completely safe for human consumption.

What is the difference between plant-based meat and cultivated meat?

Plant-based meats (like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat) use ingredients like soy, peas, and potato starch to mimic the taste and texture of meat. Cultivated meat is real animal protein grown directly from animal cells, meaning it has the exact same biological makeup as traditional meat.