A review of environmental, technological, and socio-economic aspects of cultured meat

Cultured meat is an emerging product with the potential to improve global food security, reduce animal suffering, and lessen the environmental impacts of conventional livestock farming. Producing meat from cultivated muscle cells may lower greenhouse gas emissions and resource use; yet, current production remains energy-intensive, raising fears about overall sustainability. Improving energy efficiency will be essential to realizing its environmental benefits. Despite its promise, cultured meat faces several challenges, including high production costs and difficulties in replicating the texture, taste, and nutritional profile of conventional meat. While costs are likely to decrease with technological progress, cultured meat also competes with widely accepted plant-based alternatives. Ethical and social factors further impact adoption, as the continued use of animal-derived cells and public scepticism toward lab-grown foods may hinder acceptance. Recent technological advances in cell cultivation, bioprinting, growth optimization, and tissue engineering have improved product quality and structural validity. This review highlights the potential of cultured meat as a sustainable alternative to conventional meat production, while critically examining its environmental implications, technological advancements, economic feasibility, and ethical and social challenges influencing its large-scale production.