According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the live-stock sector is responsible for 14.5% of greenhouse gas emissions. Amongst other solutions, cultivated meat has been proposed as a method for countering this problem: meat produced by in vitro cell culture of animal cells. If all meat produced in the EU-27 was replaced by cultivated meat, research indicates that this would significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, land use and water use by 98.8%, 99.7% and 94% respectively, compared to current meat production practices.

Results from this survey show that whilst awareness of cultivated meat across EU countries surveyed is generally good, understanding of how this new category of meat is made is still relatively low. Around half of those in the EU countries surveyed say they would be likely to try this new category of meat, with the two most appealing factors about making this change from traditional meat are related to reducing the impact on the environment and the number of animals killed. Cultivated meat could therefore be positioned as a viable alternative to animal meat, and to the environmental impact of the meat industry.