Cultivating Consumer Research: A Systematic Review and Research Agenda on Cultivated Meat Acceptance

Cultivated meat (CM) is increasingly referenced as a potential solution to several pressing challenges facing current food systems. As CM products potentially advance toward commercialization, understanding the factors driving consumer acceptance becomes critical to ensuring their market success. Despite a growing body of primary and secondary research, evidence on CM acceptance remains fragmented due to methodological inconsistencies and theoretical divergences. These limitations hinder cross-study comparability, reduce the generalizability and replicability of findings, and ultimately constrain the development of robust conclusions in this field. To address these issues, this systematic literature review provides a comprehensive synthesis of the existing research on consumer acceptance of CM. Conducted following PRISMA guidelines, the review examines theories, contexts, characteristics, and methodological approaches of 250 peer-reviewed articles on CM acceptance, making it the most extensive synthesis on this research topic to date. Preliminary findings point to major limitations in the current evidence base, such as the predominant reliance on WEIRD (White, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) samples, with limited representation from regions expected to experience the highest demographic growth in the coming decades. Further barriers to comparability and replicability
include inconsistent nomenclature of CM, data recency limitations, and a widespread dependence on non-representative samples. By identifying these critical gaps, the review outlines a roadmap for future consumer research
on CM acceptance, emphasizing the need for broader geographical coverage and stronger methodological rigor. In doing so, it draws attention to several underexplored yet essential areas that demand urgent scholarly attention and empirical inquiry.