Innovation Insights: Canada in unique position to capitalize on the cultivated meat category

Cellular food technology has the potential to dramatically alter how we produce, purchase, and consume food, while offering enormous financial opportunities to Canadian producers and exporters.

Also known as cultivated or bio-engineered food, cellular food technology produces proteins and ingredients through cell cultures harvested from animals, plants and micro-organisms and through precision fermentation or tissue engineering. While precision fermentation has been used for decades in Canada to produce ingredients such as rennet, a wide range of products using both cultivation techniques are poised to hit the Canadian market in coming years. That includes essential ingredients like collagen, flavour molecules and vitamins; products that are unable to be sourced locally, including chocolate, vanilla, and coffee beans; and value-added protein such as chicken nuggets, fish, and burgers.

According to Ontario Genomics, cellular food products could capture 22 per cent of the alternative protein market by 2035. As well as creating a sustainable, more resilient local supply chain, and creating approximately 86,000 new jobs by 2030, the technology represents a $12.5 billion opportunity for Canada.

The Canadian Food Innovation Network (CFIN) worked with Moncton, N.B.-based data science company Fiddlehead Technology to develop Canadian FoodTech Trends: Interest and Curiosity in Cellular Food Continues to Grow, a report providing insight into the potential adoption of cellular meat in Canada. The report examined interest in cellular meat, as well as the progress of and research and development in the sector by Canadian companies. What it found was that although Canada lags behind countries like the U.S. and Singapore, research and interest in cellular food has jumped dramatically since 2000. Here are the report’s top five findings:

1. Researchers are prioritizing cellular food

Food scientists and engineers worldwide are diving into the cellular food sector. Fiddlehead found that there were 22,800 academic papers related to cultivated meat published in the past five years, roughly the same number of papers published in total before 2000.

2. Patent applications for cellular meat are increasing

The U.S., where cellular meat recently hit the market, had 596 patent applications for cellular meat in 2022, compared to just 48 before 2000. By comparison, there were no Canadian patent applications for cellular meat before 2000, and just 22 by 2022. At the same time, the number of Canadian companies producing cellular meat continues to grow.

3. Consumer interest picking up

The U.S. media began to show interest in cellular meat in 2019. The Canadian media is still playing catch up. The good news is that the tone of articles in Canada is showing more positivity and less skepticism. Meanwhile, keyword internet search queries show Canadians are curious and interested in purchasing cellular meat. For instance, top queries from Canadians include “what is lab grown meat,” “can vegans eat lab grown meat,” and “where to buy lab grown meat.”

4. Regulatory hurdles still exist

While countries like the U.S. and Singapore already have regulatory approval for the sale of cellular meat, products for sale in Canada will need to go through the lengthy approval process for novel foods, as well as meeting requirements for food safety, labelling, marketing, and other existing regulations.

5. Scaling production will require investments and collaboration

The cost to establish and scale up Canadian-made supply chains and production will require significant investment and long-term alignment between companies, funders, and other partners.

Finally, the report revealed Canadians are ready to try new products that alleviate environmental and ethical concerns, both of which are addressed by cultivated meat. Marketing and public education will be crucial to familiarize consumers with cellular food.   

Dana McCauley is CEO of the Canadian Food Innovation Network (CFIN), a member-based organization stimulating innovation across the Canadian food sector.

This column was originally published in the October 2023 issue of Food in Canada.