Chinese cultivated meat producer Joes Future Food has announced the commissioning of what is claimed to be the country’s largest cultivated meat pilot plant. The company has also completed a scaled trial production of cultivated pork in a 2000-liter bioreactor, a move that has been described as a world first.
The pilot facility integrates a complete technological chain, from cell line development and low-cost serum-free media to large-scale bioprocessing. This forms a closed-loop system with an annual capacity of 10 to 50 tons of cultivated meat products. The design could provide a scalable blueprint for future 10,000-ton production lines.
Joes Future Food says it is working to create a variety of culinary experiences, ranging from 3D-printed structured pork belly to “Honeycomb Meat” and consommé gel with meat crisps.
“The era of cultivated meat is here”
Joes Future Food was founded in 2020 to industrialize cultivated meat technology developed at Nanjing Agricultural University. In 2021, the company raised $10.9 million to build a cultivated pork production line, bring down costs, and improve the production process.
The following year, Joes Future Food revealed that it had developed cultivated pork belly and pigskin noodles. In 2023, the company validated a 500L bioreactor process, a precursor to the 2000L milestone.
“The cultivated meat sector is accelerating worldwide, with regulatory approvals now granted across five countries and multiple companies entering the market,” said Shijie Ding, CEO of Joes Future Food, on LinkedIn. “Joes Future Food’s 2000L breakthrough demonstrates China’s leading role in this global movement — particularly in cultivated pork — strengthening our position in the future of sustainable protein. The era of cultivated meat is here. We are committed to shaping a more sustainable, secure, and resilient food system.”
