Thank you for taking the time to write this as I learned a lot! I do have some quips, some of which I wrote down below.
Cultivated Meat Approved by US Regulators Is Mostly Non-GMO
“This piece is about drawing an analogy between cultivated meat and GMOs, but in fact this isn’t just an analogy, as about half of the companies working on cultivated meat use genetic modification of the cultivated cells! So not only is cultivated meat an unsettling new technology, it also uses a technology which consumers famously hate.”
The cited source: “A 2023 survey found that nearly half of cultivated meat companies are exploring genetic engineering for either R&D or commercial use, and several patents describing various engineering approaches have been filed. Ultimately, the extent of genetic engineering and types of modifications incorporated into final products will depend on the regulatory approval process for engineered products and consumer perceptions in different regions.”
There have been five cultivated meats approved in the US, three are GMO-free, one likely uses a GMO cell line and one I don’t know. For the uncertain ones, I’m learning towards they do use GMOs because if they were free of that why wouldn’t they make that very clear?
Three are Non-GMO
Mission Barns ““The fact that our process is Non GMO is attractive to potential partners in Asia and Europe.” (source)
“According to GOOD Meat’s safety dossier, GOOD Meat’s cells are “not recombinant or engineered (i.e., non-GMO) and have not been exposed to any viruses or viral DNA” while tests “indicate that the starting cells used for cultured chicken do not have tumorigenic potential.” (source)
Not Certain, But I Would Guess Are GMO
Upside does seem to be considered to be GMO (source)
Wildtype – no public information I could find.
Europe
Only two cultivated meat companies have applied for approval, Gourmey and Mosa Meats, and both are non-GMO. Source for Gourmey (source) and Mosa Meats (source).
Rest of the world
Also, remember there is cultivated meat research, business and regulatory activity in India, China, and other parts of the world which I haven’t checked. But are likely self-aware about their country’s stance on GMO, and if they aren’t their investors will make them so since they want a return on their investment, and therefore probably won’t use GMO cell lines.
Trump’s FDA Has Approved More Cultivated Meat Than Biden’s FDA
“RFK Jr (the US Secretary of Health) has also made negativecomments about cultivated meat before taking office. The fact that cultivated meat is becoming a culture war issue before making it onto supermarket shelves doesn’t bode well.”
RFK Jr.’s negative and strange remarks about “pesticide filled” cultivated meat has been a very poor indicator of what the FDA has done under his indirect leadership (FDA is under HHS). Biden’s FDA approved two cultivated meats in his 4 year term, while RFK Jr’s FDA has approved 3 cultivated meats in less than a year.
The FDA under RFK Jr. has approved so many cultivated meats RFK Jr’s own media outlet, Children’s Health Defense, called the government agency “captured” by industry on the news of Wildtype’s approval. What is behind this strange mismatch between rhetoric and actions? I only have theories and they mainly revolve around cross political pressure.
Under Biden (Though Started Under Trump’s First Term)
I think there are more facts that have been left out in your post that make your case less strong, and support a more moderate position. But I am too lazy at the moment to write these out and dig up sources so here are some crude bullet points:
EU government investment in startups and partnering government agencies with those startups with the explicit goal of bringing it to market. (Counter point: the EU government has historically been more pro-GMO than individual member countries so might end up true of cultivated meat too.)
Texas and Indiana’s cultivated meats have an expiration date of 2027 while the other bans are indefinite. That is a big difference when it comes to possibly legalizing cultivated meat in those states.
There are more reasons to think GMOs are going to be treated differently by the public, like some of the same reasons people dislike GMOs they might like cultivated meat. But I am too lazy at the moment to write these out.
People eat more GMOs than is given credit for. Tons of foods in Walmart that working class people eat all the time contain GMOs. Like many health concerns, a smaller portion of people actually care enough and/or have enough energy to change behavior and many can’t be bothered no matter how they respond to a survey question.
I want to end by saying I appreciate the effort you put in your post, and I am glad to see more discussion/debate around this. Even though I got my quips, I have updated significantly in the direction of being fearful that cultivated meat might end up like GMOs because of your arguments. And your post pushed me to think harder in the areas where I disagreed. I need to explore this topic more.
That’s cool you looked into the different companies that have been approved, I didn’t know which were using GMOs and which weren’t. The fact that (probably) 2⁄5 of them are using GM doesn’t update me from the 1⁄2 reference class though. My guess is that the nuance that only some cultivated meat companies use GM will be lost fairly quickly once it starts getting debated. Presumambly the non-GM companies are going to be emphasising that they don’t use GM, while the other companies will be saying GM is nothing to worry about, so it will be a confusing message for consumers.
And good point that the regions which are most anti-GMOs (e.g. Europe) will presumably be served by companies not using GM cultivated meat which lessens the badness of the GM thing.
I don’t know how much of a benefit the GM is for cultivated meat (I would guess a decent amount as otherwise they probably wouldn’t use it), so I’m not sure how disadvantaged the non-GM cultivated meat companies will be in the race. If it’s a big deal for scaling the technology then I guess the first products in supermarkets will be GMOs which would be a bad first impression.
Trump Approving Cultivated Meat
I don’t know what to make of the fact that this admin’s FDA is approving more than the previous admin, might just be that the technology is more developed now, or maybe this FDA is approving things faster generally. I guess cultivated meat still has a decent way to go before it will be in supermarkets, so even if this admin stopped approving new versions I’m not sure how much that would matter. I am more concerned by the general trend of the right-wing politicians spurning cultivated meat.
Other
I’d be interested in your thoughts on “some of the same reasons people dislike GMOs will mean they like cultivated meat”. In my mind they share a similar aesthetic of “unnatural, messing with nature, playing God, etc”
And good point that 2 of the 7 bans are not permanent, I missed that.
Your comments are giving me ideas for forecasting questions: - Will the first cultivated meat GMO product contain GMOs? - What percentage of the first 10 cultivated meats approved by US regulators will contain GMOs?
Are GMO cell lines important for scaling? I don’t know, but I agree it likely makes it easier. I need to look into this more.
Somebody to watch on this note is Meatly who is selling GMO-free cultivated meat pet food in Europe and Asia. And I have a somewhat uncertain belief cultivated pet food will reach larger scale faster than cultivated meat for humans so could be a preview.
Btw, found this map of GMO grown around the world (here)
Trump and Cultivated Meat
You have a valid point that they regulatory agencies are not more public-facing politicians, but it does show that the power dynamics in MAGA are far from completely against cultivated meat. (A little review of that here)
I have only done some searching, but it is worth noting CATO has came out against state bans, and Vivek Ramaswamy has been very pro it (though it is unclear me how much power he holds in MAGA, he might run for a governorship though).
It is worth noting some of those Republican officials who are doing things that seem part of the culture war, like mandated labels, also think it will become part of the American diet. “The way we’re headed, lab-grown meat is going to become a part of life whether we like it or not,” said Neyer, R-Shepherd. “But we have to make sure people have the ability to choose whether they consume it or not.” (source)
Btw, I would appreciate it if you would consider making a forecast related to state bans—see here. Your view point would make a healthy counter to my more bullish views.
Other
A big reason why people don’t like GMOs is because of their associations with pesticides and chemicals, and the concern about pesticides is much more general than GMOs. RFK Jr. said cultivated meat was “pesticide-laden ingredients” which is absurd. Why would you need pesticides when the food is grown in a sparking clean lab? Especially compared to the all the crops animals need to eat.
So pesticides and chemicals, specifically the lack of coming in contact with them, could be a very large selling point for some of the public (5% to 20% i would guess). A decent portion of Americans are reasonable and aren’t anti-vax, and would be open to hearing out this line of persuasion in my opinion.
Thank you for taking the time to write this as I learned a lot! I do have some quips, some of which I wrote down below.
Cultivated Meat Approved by US Regulators Is Mostly Non-GMO
The cited source: “A 2023 survey found that nearly half of cultivated meat companies are exploring genetic engineering for either R&D or commercial use, and several patents describing various engineering approaches have been filed. Ultimately, the extent of genetic engineering and types of modifications incorporated into final products will depend on the regulatory approval process for engineered products and consumer perceptions in different regions.”
There have been five cultivated meats approved in the US, three are GMO-free, one likely uses a GMO cell line and one I don’t know. For the uncertain ones, I’m learning towards they do use GMOs because if they were free of that why wouldn’t they make that very clear?
Three are Non-GMO
Mission Barns ““The fact that our process is Non GMO is attractive to potential partners in Asia and Europe.” (source)
Believer Meats is not GMO (source)
Good Meat
“According to GOOD Meat’s safety dossier, GOOD Meat’s cells are “not recombinant or engineered (i.e., non-GMO) and have not been exposed to any viruses or viral DNA” while tests “indicate that the starting cells used for cultured chicken do not have tumorigenic potential.” (source)
Not Certain, But I Would Guess Are GMO
Upside does seem to be considered to be GMO (source)
Wildtype – no public information I could find.
Europe
Only two cultivated meat companies have applied for approval, Gourmey and Mosa Meats, and both are non-GMO. Source for Gourmey (source) and Mosa Meats (source).
Rest of the world
Also, remember there is cultivated meat research, business and regulatory activity in India, China, and other parts of the world which I haven’t checked. But are likely self-aware about their country’s stance on GMO, and if they aren’t their investors will make them so since they want a return on their investment, and therefore probably won’t use GMO cell lines.
Trump’s FDA Has Approved More Cultivated Meat Than Biden’s FDA
RFK Jr.’s negative and strange remarks about “pesticide filled” cultivated meat has been a very poor indicator of what the FDA has done under his indirect leadership (FDA is under HHS). Biden’s FDA approved two cultivated meats in his 4 year term, while RFK Jr’s FDA has approved 3 cultivated meats in less than a year.
The FDA under RFK Jr. has approved so many cultivated meats RFK Jr’s own media outlet, Children’s Health Defense, called the government agency “captured” by industry on the news of Wildtype’s approval. What is behind this strange mismatch between rhetoric and actions? I only have theories and they mainly revolve around cross political pressure.
Under Biden (Though Started Under Trump’s First Term)
UPSIDE Food
Started: 2015
FDA approval: Nov. 16, 2022
FDA press release (source)
Good Meat (A Brand of Just Eat)
Started: 2017(?)
FDA Approval: March 21st, 2023(source)
Under Trump’s Second Term/RFK Jr.
Mission Barn
Started: 2018
FDA: March 7, 2025 (source)
Wildtype
Started: 2016
FDA: May 29th, 2025 (source)
Believer Meats (was Future Meat Technologies)
Started: 2018
FDA: July 24th, 2025 (source)
(Placeholder For More Critiques)
I think there are more facts that have been left out in your post that make your case less strong, and support a more moderate position. But I am too lazy at the moment to write these out and dig up sources so here are some crude bullet points:
EU government investment in startups and partnering government agencies with those startups with the explicit goal of bringing it to market. (Counter point: the EU government has historically been more pro-GMO than individual member countries so might end up true of cultivated meat too.)
Texas and Indiana’s cultivated meats have an expiration date of 2027 while the other bans are indefinite. That is a big difference when it comes to possibly legalizing cultivated meat in those states.
There are more reasons to think GMOs are going to be treated differently by the public, like some of the same reasons people dislike GMOs they might like cultivated meat. But I am too lazy at the moment to write these out.
People eat more GMOs than is given credit for. Tons of foods in Walmart that working class people eat all the time contain GMOs. Like many health concerns, a smaller portion of people actually care enough and/or have enough energy to change behavior and many can’t be bothered no matter how they respond to a survey question.
I want to end by saying I appreciate the effort you put in your post, and I am glad to see more discussion/debate around this. Even though I got my quips, I have updated significantly in the direction of being fearful that cultivated meat might end up like GMOs because of your arguments. And your post pushed me to think harder in the areas where I disagreed. I need to explore this topic more.
Thanks for your comments!
GM in Cultivated Meat
That’s cool you looked into the different companies that have been approved, I didn’t know which were using GMOs and which weren’t. The fact that (probably) 2⁄5 of them are using GM doesn’t update me from the 1⁄2 reference class though. My guess is that the nuance that only some cultivated meat companies use GM will be lost fairly quickly once it starts getting debated. Presumambly the non-GM companies are going to be emphasising that they don’t use GM, while the other companies will be saying GM is nothing to worry about, so it will be a confusing message for consumers.
And good point that the regions which are most anti-GMOs (e.g. Europe) will presumably be served by companies not using GM cultivated meat which lessens the badness of the GM thing.
I don’t know how much of a benefit the GM is for cultivated meat (I would guess a decent amount as otherwise they probably wouldn’t use it), so I’m not sure how disadvantaged the non-GM cultivated meat companies will be in the race. If it’s a big deal for scaling the technology then I guess the first products in supermarkets will be GMOs which would be a bad first impression.
Trump Approving Cultivated Meat
I don’t know what to make of the fact that this admin’s FDA is approving more than the previous admin, might just be that the technology is more developed now, or maybe this FDA is approving things faster generally. I guess cultivated meat still has a decent way to go before it will be in supermarkets, so even if this admin stopped approving new versions I’m not sure how much that would matter. I am more concerned by the general trend of the right-wing politicians spurning cultivated meat.
Other
I’d be interested in your thoughts on “some of the same reasons people dislike GMOs will mean they like cultivated meat”. In my mind they share a similar aesthetic of “unnatural, messing with nature, playing God, etc”
And good point that 2 of the 7 bans are not permanent, I missed that.
Approved GMO Cultivated Meat
Your comments are giving me ideas for forecasting questions:
- Will the first cultivated meat GMO product contain GMOs?
- What percentage of the first 10 cultivated meats approved by US regulators will contain GMOs?
Are GMO cell lines important for scaling? I don’t know, but I agree it likely makes it easier. I need to look into this more.
Somebody to watch on this note is Meatly who is selling GMO-free cultivated meat pet food in Europe and Asia. And I have a somewhat uncertain belief cultivated pet food will reach larger scale faster than cultivated meat for humans so could be a preview.
Btw, found this map of GMO grown around the world (here)
Trump and Cultivated Meat
You have a valid point that they regulatory agencies are not more public-facing politicians, but it does show that the power dynamics in MAGA are far from completely against cultivated meat. (A little review of that here)
I have only done some searching, but it is worth noting CATO has came out against state bans, and Vivek Ramaswamy has been very pro it (though it is unclear me how much power he holds in MAGA, he might run for a governorship though).
It is worth noting some of those Republican officials who are doing things that seem part of the culture war, like mandated labels, also think it will become part of the American diet. “The way we’re headed, lab-grown meat is going to become a part of life whether we like it or not,” said Neyer, R-Shepherd. “But we have to make sure people have the ability to choose whether they consume it or not.” (source)
Btw, I would appreciate it if you would consider making a forecast related to state bans—see here. Your view point would make a healthy counter to my more bullish views.
Other
A big reason why people don’t like GMOs is because of their associations with pesticides and chemicals, and the concern about pesticides is much more general than GMOs. RFK Jr. said cultivated meat was “pesticide-laden ingredients” which is absurd. Why would you need pesticides when the food is grown in a sparking clean lab? Especially compared to the all the crops animals need to eat.
So pesticides and chemicals, specifically the lack of coming in contact with them, could be a very large selling point for some of the public (5% to 20% i would guess). A decent portion of Americans are reasonable and aren’t anti-vax, and would be open to hearing out this line of persuasion in my opinion.