Cultivated muscle-cell based food (CMBFood)

Coordinator: Martin Krøyer Rasmussen, Aarhus University,

 

Cultivated muscle-cell based foods – including mammalian meat and fish – represent a transformative approach to sustainable food production. This emerging field has gained significant momentum in recent years, driven by growing public interest and scientific breakthroughs, particularly in areas such as cell-line development and culture media formulation.

Despite this progress, the development of final consumer-ready products remains limited. Current research efforts are increasingly focused on understanding how cultivation conditions and post-harvest processes influence the quality, safety, and sensory attributes of the final food products.

A key challenge in advancing this field is the limited exchange of knowledge and collaboration between diverse stakeholders, especially across academia and industry. This is further complicated by the fact that much of the existing expertise and discourse originates outside the Nordic region, often misaligned with local cultural values, consumer expectations, and regulatory frameworks.

To address this gap, there is a pressing need to establish a dedicated Nordic network that brings together scientists, industry leaders, and policymakers. This initiative aims to consolidate existing knowledge, foster cross-sector collaboration, and identify region-specific research priorities to accelerate the development of cultivated muscle-cell based foods in the Nordic context.