Between 2024 and 2025, Europe experienced a wave of new research on public attitudes toward cultivated meat in human consumption — spanning national surveys, EU-funded studies, and consumer observatories. These results now provide the clearest picture to date of how Europeans view cultivated meat as part of the protein transition.
Across Western Europe and the UK, consumers show increasing awareness but conditional openness. Between 40% and 70% of respondents in many markets would try cultivated meat if it were safety-approved, though regular consumption remains limited. Drivers include animal welfare, environmental benefits, and curiosity, while main barriers revolve around safety, “unnaturalness,” and taste.
At the same time, Europe’s cultivated meat sector has made tangible progress. In 2024, BeneMeat became the first company in Europe to obtain registration for the production and use of cultivated meat as an ingredient in pet food, marking a major regulatory milestone and a signal of Europe’s growing leadership in the field.
The data collectively show that European consumers are not rejecting cultivated meat for human consumption outright — they are waiting to trust it. For B2B stakeholders, this research provides actionable insight into how awareness, trust, and communication will shape the first phase of market introduction.
Moreover, human consumption isn’t the only area where cultivated meat can be applied — pet owners are generally open to using cultivated meat in pet food. This is supported by a 2022 study (Investigating the Market for Cultivated Meat as Pet Food: A Survey Analysis) as well as a study published in October 2025 (Consumer Acceptance of Sustainable Dog Diets: A Survey of 2,639 Dog Guardians).
In fact, BeneMeat has observed this exact same openness toward cultivated meat in the pet food segment through its own Try & Share Program.
