Gen Z Brits Ready to Push Cultivated Meat into Mainstream says Poll

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Britain’s Generation Z (16–30 years) are emerging as early adopters of cultured meat, marking a significant milestone for cellular agriculture. A new Ipsos Observer UK poll of 1,098 adults reveals 47% of Gen Z Brits would be willing to eat cultivated meat. That’s nearly half of young consumers open to ditching meat derived from living animals for something brewed in a bioreactor.

Compare this to just 39% of Millennials, 22% of Gen X and 21% of Boomers, and the generational divide is clear.

Source: PFN Ai Archives - Depiction of UK GenZ'ers eating cultivated meat.

Dubbed a “genuine potential growth market” by Ipsos’ Peter Cooper, the under-30 demographic is anchoring cultivated meat’s entry into everyday diets. Their openness comes despite the fact that 58% of Brits say they’ve never even heard of meat grown in a bioreactor. So yes, we’re still very early, but the seeds of mainstream change are being sown.

So what’s driving this youthful appetite for cultivated meat? For Gen Z, the ethical and ecological pitch hits home. Top reasons for giving it a go include not killing animals (33%), a lower environmental impact (21%), fewer greenhouse gases (19%), reduced risk of zoonotic diseases (20%), and less land use (19%). For a generation fed up with planetary spin, the lab looks a lot more honest than the paddock.

Still, let’s not pretend the path to the dinner table is frictionless. Technical barriers, regulatory holdups, and cultural resistance remain. But a few cracks are showing. It's happening in Singapore, the US along with British startup Meatly already getting regulatory approval for cultivated chicken in pet food, a stealthy but savvy way to start building public trust. And with Vow’s quail breakthrough in Australia and Aleph Farms’ progress in Israel, the cultivated sector is picking up steam across the globe.

This isn’t just about food, it’s about future-proofing how we live. Gen Z’s willingness to embrace lab-grown meat is a generational pivot. It signals the old food system no longer holds the same power or prestige. When given the choice between climate anxiety and clean protein, the kids are voting with their forks.

Let’s be clear: 47% isn’t a done deal. But it’s a hell of a start. As the planet changes and protein gets political, Gen Z is quietly building the food future the rest of us will one day chew on.

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