Dissecting the cultured meat supply chain: A comprehensive review

The pursuit of sustainable and ethical food production has led to groundbreaking innovations such as cultured meat, a transformative solution to the environmental, ethical, and resource-related challenges of traditional meat production. Cultured meat is derived by cultivating animal cells in controlled environments, eliminating the need for conventional livestock farming. This technology offers a promising alternative to meet the growing global demand for meat while reducing the ecological footprint and animal welfare concerns. This review explores the entire supply chain of cultured meat production, covering key stages such as cell sourcing, cell culturing, scaffold development, bioreactor technology, tissue differentiation, maturation, and quality control. It emphasizes the integration of biotechnology, materials science, and engineering to ensure scalability, sustainability, and adherence to regulatory and consumer standards. The paper examines stakeholder roles and interdependencies within the supply chain to provide a holistic understanding of the cultured meat ecosystem. Despite rapid technological advancements, the commercialization of cultured meat faces persistent challenges including high production costs, complex logistics, regulatory uncertainties, and issues with consumer acceptance. This review highlights these challenges while outlining opportunities for supply chain optimization. By identifying critical processes and stakeholder contributions, the paper provides strategic insights for overcoming current barriers. It concludes that addressing these issues is essential to realize the full potential of cultured meat as a scalable, ethical, and environmentally sustainable food source, supporting a transformative shift in global food systems. • Cultured meat as a sustainable alternative – Eliminates the need for conventional livestock farming by cultivating animal cells in controlled environments. • Comprehensive supply chain analysis – Examines key stages including cell sourcing, scaffold development, bioreactor technology, tissue differentiation, maturation, and quality control. • Integration of advanced technologies – Highlights the role of biotechnology, materials science, and engineering innovations in ensuring scalability and sustainability. • Challenges in commercialization – Discusses barriers such as high production costs, logistical complexities, regulatory hurdles, and consumer acceptance. • Pathways for optimization – Identifies strategies to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and improve regulatory compliance for widespread adoption. • Future implications – Positions cultured meat as a transformative solution to ethical, environmental, and food security concerns in global food systems.