In the ongoing quest for new sources of protein — for pets and humans — novel ones like cultivated meat have inspired a lot of hype for its sustainability bona fides, among other characteristics. Yet, it’s not without challenges.
A significant one in the U.S. is achieving regulatory approval, not just at the federal level but also with individual states. “Many state governments have continued to propose or pass laws that require specific labeling for cell-cultivated products or, in some cases, prohibit their production and sale entirely,” wrote regulatory experts from Husch Blackwell, a law firm with many human food and pet food clients. This is mainly true for human food to date, but it has implications for pet food.
Other countries and regions, such as Australia, Canada, the European Union (EU), Israel and the United Kingdom are also “assessing the use of cell-cultivated meat products for human consumption,” the experts wrote.
Scalability and consumer acceptance
Regulatory issues are not the only type of challenge to wider adoption and usage of cultivated protein. The main one at this point is scalability, or the lack thereof; even companies all in on the protein — namely, ones making and marketing it — acknowledge that limit.
“Cultivated meat will not be mainstream in the near term. That is simply a matter of scale,” said Jan Luprich, strategic partnerships lead for Bene Meat Technologies, in response to a question after his presentation at Petfood Forum Europe 2026. “To cover just 1% of global meat production, you would need approximately 1,000 factories each producing 3,600 tons per year.”
Instead, he said, “the realistic near-term opportunity is in premium, differentiated, niche positioning. There is space to carve out something meaningful among consumers — and for forward-thinking companies, this is the window to move early into that space.”
He believes that due to a trial of cultivated meat dog treats conducted by Bene Meat with almost 200 dog owners across the EU; he presented the findings with his colleague, Simone Stringhetti, feeding studies coordinator and business development specialist. Key findings included:
- Nearly 90% of dogs accepted the treats; 83% of owners rated them as performing as well as or better than their usual treats.
- Adverse reactions were minimal; only two stool quality issues were reported, and were not due to consumption of the treats, according to Luprich.
- Education proved transformative: Perceptions of cultivated meat as “natural” shifted measurably after the trial experience, as did confidence in it as a good option for pets.
- About 40% of owners said they would be comfortable feeding cultivated meat regularly; approximately 45% expressed likelihood of doing so, for a total of about 85% potential regular-feeding intent.
- 86% of participants said they would purchase cultivated meat treats if available on the market.
- Top reasons for purchasing: ethics, health, ingredient quality and sustainability.
- Top reasons cited by the small percentage who would not purchase: refusal by dogs, texture or size issues or price concerns. Notably, no prices were mentioned in the survey, suggesting anticipatory price concern rather than a response to actual pricing.
- Motivations to recommend the product to friends or vets centered on health, nutritional profile and the controlled production process — not primarily ethics or sustainability, which was somewhat surprising to Luprich and Stringhetti.
“The interest from consumers is real, and we see it not just from this trial but from six years of engagement,” Luprich said.
Confronting the hype machine: Is insect protein a cautionary tale?
Luprich believes such consumer interest is important in overcoming another persistent challenge to novel proteins like cultivated meat: the hype machine. “Cultivated meat has followed a path similar to other emerging technology hype cycles: AI, hydrogen, 3D printing, insect protein,” he said. “At the beginning, there were bold statements and over-promises, which inevitably led to disappointment when deliverables did not materialize. Skepticism set in. Hundreds of millions of dollars were spent, and the results were not commensurate with the investment. The natural question becomes: What is this actually worth?”
Luprich’s inclusion of insect protein in the list of over-hyped technologies is telling. Indeed, some experts in the pet food industry believe insect protein is now suffering from its hype meeting reality, even though it has gained much more regulatory approval and has many more products on the market compared to other novel protein sources. Consumer awareness, knowledge and acceptance, in addition to difficulty in scaling production, currently seem to be dampening its prospects. The scalability problem makes it more expensive than other protein sources, which doesn’t bode well during difficult economic times.
Will cultivated protein escape that same fate due to trials like the one conducted by Bene Meat? “The important clarification is that the technology has not failed,” Luprich said in considering cultivated meat vs. other hyped technologies. “The underlying science has been used in pharma for decades. What failed was the alignment of timelines and expectations. When people expect commercial volumes in the near term and receive only bold statements and AI-generated imagery, confidence erodes. What actually matters — and you, as the industry, can confirm this better than we can — is tangible product, demonstrated value, economic viability and validated consumer demand.”
Maybe so, but it’s worth pointing out that researchers have published several studies about insect protein — not in high numbers but more than the three published about cultivate meat. Insect protein companies have also instituted consumer education programs and conducted surveys showing promise. And again, pet owners have been able to actually feed pet foods and treats featuring insect protein for several years now.
It will be interesting to watch if insect protein regains its footing and cultivated meat establishes its, especially if the economy improves and more pet owners feel financially secure enough to try more expensive options. Meanwhile, beware the hype.
