From Status Quo to Innovation: The CSCP Brings the Conversation to ANUGA 2025! Imagine enjoying a juicy steak made without harming animals or cutting down forests. At this year’s ANUGA fair, the CSCP showed how European farmers and scientists are joining forces to make cultivated meat (meat grown from animal cells) an option for everyone’s plate, through an open and inclusive process that values diverse perspectives and considerations. At ANUGA 2025 in Cologne, Germany the world’s largest trade fair for food innovation, the audience was invited to rethink what “meat” could mean in the future. Under the keynote title “Can You Imagine a Future Where This Is Possible?”, Alexander Mannweiler, Head of Sustainable Business and Entrepreneurship at the CSCP, presented insights from the Horizon Europe project FEASTS. The presentation at ANUGA highlighted how cultivated meat and seafood could complement conventional and plant-based proteins to create a more resilient and sustainable food system. In his keynote, Mannweiler also addressed the realities behind the hype: technical hurdles, high production costs, and the need for trust and transparency across the value chain. The FEASTS project is tackling these issues by engaging multiple stakeholders—from farmers to policymakers and consumers—to develop open data, transparent communication, and sustainable business models. One striking example of this innovation is Respect Farms, a Dutch initiative that aims to design the world’s first cultured meat farm. By integrating cell-based production into existing agricultural systems, such approaches could enable farmers to diversify their businesses while significantly reducing land and water use. The keynote concluded with a look ahead: cultivated meat will likely enter the market first through hybrid and ingredient-based products, with the long-term potential to become a complementary source of sustainable protein alongside traditional and plant-based foods. The transition will require continued collaboration between science, industry, and society to ensure that technological progress goes hand in hand with environmental and social sustainability. In FEASTS, which is a Horizon Europe project, we are working together with 35 partners from research, innovation, and industry across Europe to build an unbiased knowledge base on the opportunities, challenges, and societal implications of these novel proteins. Would you like to engage with us on this topic? Please reach out to Alexander Mannweiler!