Arianna Ferrari - Hype, Neglect, and the Future(s) of Cultivated Meat [ETAC6 presentation]

HYPE, NEGLECT AND THE FUTURE(S) OF CULTIVATED MEAT ARIANNA FERRARI, PhD Center for Innovation Systems & Policy Team “Societal Futures” [email protected] Image Source: Gourmey WHAT IS CULTIVATED MEAT? Home | Meatly | Real Meat Made Better 12/06/2025 Figure 1 in Reiss, J.; Robertson, S.; Suzuki, M. Cell Sources for Cultivated Meat: Applications and Considerations throughout the Production Workflow. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 7513. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22147513 https://www.goodmeat.co/ •Analysis of the Discourse and Developments of Cultivated Meat (CM) Along the Hype Cycle •Analysis of the Visions Alimenting or the Hype Cycle •Analysis of the Critiques to the Visions and the Hype •Conclusions 3 12/06/2025 AGENDA The hype cycle framework was introduced in 1995 by Gartner analyst Jackie Fenn 4 12/06/2025 HYPE : FROM TECHNOLOGY TRIGGER TO PEAK OF EXPECTATIONS •1950s–60s: NASA Research •1990s: research by Willem van Eelen, who secured early patents (first filed in 1997) •Early 2000s: First Patents and Public Interest Universities and startups began filing patents for tissue engineering of edible muscle. Interest driven by sustainability, ethics, and food security. •2013: Mark Post’s Cultured Burger Cultured from cow stem cells; funded by Google co-founder Sergey Brin Cost: ~$330,000; landmark for public awareness. •2010s–2020s: Acceleration in R&D and Investment Emergence of startups: Memphis Meats (UPSIDE Foods), Mosa Meat, Aleph Farms. Technological advancements in scaffolding, bioreactors, and cell lines •December 2022: regulatory approval of CM in Singapore (Eat Just’s chicken) Image source: David Parry/PA Wire/AP Image source: Courtesy of Eat Just Visions of cellular agriculture as “animal-free future” (Datar 2016) •Term “cellular agriculture” was coined in 2015 (New Harvest) •Ending slaughter •Avoiding industrial animal farming •Advancing "animal liberation“ /overcoming the (ab)use of animals a moral revolution or to end barbarism → Forgacs (2013); Shapiro (2018) "second domestication" → leaving animals alone •The narrative is embedded in a clear normative space (sustainability, justice, equality, animal rights) •Positive reframe of climate change and biodiversity challenges 5 12/06/2025 VISION IN THE HYPE: CM AS DISRUPTIVE 2000-2022 Isha Datar, Watch Isha Datar's TED talk on cellular agriculture —New Harvest 12.06.2025 CRITIQUE AGAINST HYPE: QUESTIONING ANIMAL RIGHTS, SUSTAINABILITY AND CORPORATE POWER •CM continues to promote meat as a solution to the problems of animal farming, at a time when there is growing interest in veganism and plantbased food alternatives (Poirier 2018). • CM does not question the “meat paradigm” (cultural) (Cole& Morgan 2013, Poirier 2018, Twine 2024, Sanbomatsu 2025) •CM does not question the need to drastically change animal agriculture •CM is only a new source of profit for meat companies •CM is not a solution to more sustainability (IPES, Hocquette et al. 2024) While a number of start-ups initiated the alternative protein boom, the market is increasingly dominated by a handful of ‘protein giants’ – and tied into the investment strategies of opaque financial players like BlackRock and Vanguard (IPES (International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems) “The Politics of proteins”, 2022, p. 55) IPES 2022, p. 56 TROUGH OF DISILLUSIONMENT: BANS & MISINFORMATION Courtesy: Ron DeSantis/X 12.06.2025 © LK Kärnten/Wajand, https://dailystormer.in/wpcontent/uploads/2023/11/francescolollobrigida-1-618x412.webp Poster of Coldiretti‘s campaign for the ban on cultivated meat •Coldiretti is Italy’s largest farmers' association led a public campaign against “synthetic meat.” •Claimed CM is “dangerous for the environment, unsafe for human health, limits consumer freedom, favors monopolies, and breaks the bond between food and nature.”- use of misinformation & distrust in EU authorities (EFSA) (new protest in april 25) •Italy: Law N.172/2023 banned the production and commercialization of cell-cultured food and feed. •Justified as protection of traditional agriculture and national food identity. •January 2024 Joint note submitted by Italy, France, and Austria, supported by 9 other EU delegations to the EU council •Declared CM a “threat to primary farm-based approaches and genuine food production methods” central to European farming values. •U.S. State Bans (2024–2025); Florida, Arizona, and Tennessee passed laws banning the production and/or sale of cultivated meat. •Motivated by protection of traditional agriculture and food safety concerns. • Term “alternative proteins” gained worldwide momentum •CM, plant-based, precision fermentation, singular cellproteins and (minor) insects •Major international reports support alternative proteins (EAT-Lancet Commission (Planetary Health Diet2015); IPCC (Climate Change and Land: Special Report, 2019); WHO & FAO (Sustainable Healthy Diets 2019, 2024); European Commission (Everyone at the table 2022, Food 2030: pathways for action 2.0 2023) •The assumption is that to reduce meat and fish consumption, alternative proteins are needed PATH OF ENLIGHTMENT 8 12/06/2025 •Complementarity rather than opposition (no longer substitution), also in new technologies of CA such as precision fermentation •Focus on growth of the marketImpact return of the capital employed: The emission savings can be translated into a financial gain when assessed in terms of the market value of avoided CO2e emissions per dollar invested in mitigation efforts. •From loudly declaration of vegan/plant-based to more “discrete branding” (focus on flavour and price instead of ethics) 9 12/06/2025 PLATEAU OF PRODUCTIVITY: COLLABORATION AND „SILENT REFORMULATION“- 2022-TODAY The quiet shift to alternative proteins: Collaboration and silent reformulation are reshaping the industry, say experts