Cultivated pork sausages by Meatable explained: taste, tech and climate impact

Guardian Science Weekly accompanies Linda Geddes as she visits the Dutch lab of Meatable, where pig cells are cultured and turned into sausages through a blend of pig fat cells and plant proteins. The episode details a tasting event with the company's CEO and CTO, now possible thanks to evolving European regulations, and reports that the sausages surprisingly taste like conventional pork sausages. The piece places cultivated meat within a broader landscape that includes other products and approaches, from precision fermentation to alternative proteins, while weighing environmental and animal welfare considerations against market realities.

Introduction and the Meatable tasting

In this episode of Science Weekly, Ian Sample and Linda Geddes visit a Dutch company, Meatable, to explore cultivated meat built from animal cells. The process starts with blastocyst cells from a pig, stored in a cell bank, and then directed toward fat or muscle lines through genetic and culture techniques. The team notes that the sausages being sampled in the accompanying kitchen were prepared in a hybrid format, combining pig fat cells with plant proteins such as pea, chickpea, soy, and wheat. The tasting event marks a milestone: regulators in several European countries have begun allowing tastings of cultivated animal products on European soil, a necessary step toward wider commercial rollout.

Linda Geddes emphasizes that Meatable aims to produce a product indistinguishable from conventional meat in taste and texture, while reducing animal slaughter and the environmental footprint of pork production. As a journalist who has followed the sector for years, she frames the moment as a significant signal that cultivated meat is moving from concept to consumer testing, albeit with caveats about cost, regulation, and consumer acceptance.

Technology and production pathway

The Meatable approach centers on a pig cell bank derived from early-stage blastocyst cells, which have the potential to differentiate into fat or muscle. Through basic genetic steering, the cells are pushed toward fat, and then cultivated in large fermentation systems that resemble beer production in scale and logistics. This method yields a ‘hybrid’ sausage—animal-derived cells blended with plant-based proteins to achieve the desired texture and mouthfeel. Geddes highlights the logistical and regulatory hurdles of cultivating animal products in factory settings, including the need to demonstrate safety and environmental benefits before mass adoption.

The discussion also places cultivated meat within a broader ecosystem of alternative protein strategies. Some labs work on meat scaffolds and 3D printing to recreate texture, while others pursue precision fermentation to produce animal proteins like casein for vegan cheese. These technologies illustrate a diverse field where biology, materials science, and industrial bioprocessing converge to reframe what constitutes meat, how it is produced, and how it is perceived by consumers.

Taste, nutrition and classification

On tasting, Geddes reports that the Meatable sausages are surprisingly convincing, tasting like ordinary pork sausages rather than a distinct vegan product. This points to advances in texture, juiciness, and flavor delivery that have historically plagued plant-based alternatives. The nutritional profile is framed as similar to conventional sausages, though the product remains ultra-processed in line with current meat substitutes. The Vegan Society’s stance is discussed—cultivated meat is not vegan because it is derived from animal cells, though it is often considered more animal-welfare friendly and potentially climate-positive.

Regulation, pricing and market outlook

The episode notes that European tastings are a new development, with Singapore identified as a hub for planned launches pending regulatory clearances. Pricing remains a critical hurdle; the CTO hints that costs will be high initially, in the tens of dollars per sausage, but insists it will not reach prohibitive levels. Geddes frames the market as targeting meat-eaters and flexitarians who want to reduce animal suffering and environmental impact without sacrificing taste. The broader market includes efforts to develop other animal products via cultivated approaches and to advance fermentation-based proteins for dairy analogs.

Environment, ethics and consumer choice

Environmentally, the discussion acknowledges mixed findings about the true sustainability of cultivated meat, noting that it is unlikely to be a universal solution but may offer advantages over traditional meat production by reducing land use and animal slaughter. Geddes argues that as demand for meat grows with rising wealth, calibrated replacements that offer comparable taste can play a role in a diversified strategy for sustainable diets. The episode ends with a nuanced view: there may be a market for “ethical meat” that aligns with consumer values without demanding complete abstention from animal products, while recognizing that transition will be gradual and contingent on regulatory, cost, and cultural factors.

Quotes

"They taste surprisingly underwhelming in that they just taste like sausages" - Linda Geddes (science journalist)

"That is amazing, that is massive, massive scientific progress to create a sausage that's basically a vegan sausage that genuinely tastes like a sausage" - Linda Geddes (science journalist)

"to create a sausage, which you wouldn't be able to tell apart from a conventional meat sausage" - Linda Geddes (science journalist)