Germany sets out biotechnology plan focused on cultivated meat, fermentation proteins
Berlin is also pushing for faster EU approval pathways for cultivated meat and precision fermented foods.
GERMANY – Germany has introduced a new biotechnology roadmap that places cultivated meat and precision fermented foods at the centre of its long-term research and food production strategy as the country moves to expand its alternative protein sector.
The roadmap, presented by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, outlines measures to strengthen Germany’s biotechnology industry and support the development of a more resilient food system through new food technologies.
The announcement follows recommendations issued last year by Germany’s Scientific Advisory Board on Agricultural Policy, Nutrition and Consumer Health, which urged the government to increase support for plant-based, cultivated and fermentation-derived foods because of their potential environmental, health and animal welfare advantages.
Germany, already Europe’s largest market for plant-based foods, plans to establish a national innovation hub for alternative proteins by 2027 to coordinate research projects, connect businesses with academic institutions and speed up the commercial use of scientific findings.
According to the Good Food Institute Europe, the new centre is expected to reduce overlap among research programmes currently spread across different institutions while encouraging cooperation among policymakers, researchers and food companies.
Production targets and funding gaps
The biotechnology strategy also sets technical and cost-reduction targets aimed at making cultivated meat and precision-fermented proteins commercially competitive by 2028 through higher cell densities, cheaper bioreactors, and lower nutrient media costs.
Under the plan, Germany aims to achieve stable cell cultures exceeding 100 million cells per millilitre while cutting bioreactor costs by 50% and reducing nutrient media prices by 90%.
The Good Food Institute Europe stated that Germany has produced more scientific studies on alternative proteins than any other European country in recent years, while ranking fourth in Europe for patents linked to the sector.
Despite that research output, Germany invested around €79 million, equivalent to about US$89 million, in alternative proteins between 2020 and 2025, with most of the funding directed towards plant-based products rather than cultivated meat or fermentation technologies.
Pressure for EU regulatory reform
The German government also used the roadmap to call for changes to European Union novel food regulations, which companies in the cultivated meat and precision fermentation sectors have criticised as slow, expensive and difficult to navigate.
Berlin is asking the EU to allow novel foods into regulatory sandboxes under the bloc’s proposed Biotech Act so businesses can work directly with regulators to test products and develop standards before full commercial approval.
Research cited by the Good Food Institute Europe estimates that Germany’s alternative protein industry could generate between US$22.6 billion and US$73.4 billion annually by 2045 while creating between 115,000 and 250,000 jobs across the sector.
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