How to verify
- Look for a Halal certificate: the conditions concern the cell source and growth medium, which no ingredient list shows.
- The cells must come from a lawful animal, alive or Islamically slaughtered (Fiqh Academy).
- The growth medium must contain nothing prohibited, such as blood or pork gelatin.
- Pork cells are never Halal, however the meat is grown.
Quick checks
- A Halal certificate.
- Cells from a lawful animal.
- Nothing prohibited in the medium.
What decides the answer
-
Halal-certified cultivated meat
Halal -
Cultivated meat without a Halal certificate
cell source and growth medium unknown: not verifiably Halal -
Cultivated pork, or a medium with blood or pork gelatin
Haram
Why this ruling
Lab-grown meat, also called cultivated or cultured meat, is grown from animal cells in a controlled laboratory environment, fed with nutrients such as glucose, vitamins and salts.
What the rulings say
The International Islamic Fiqh Academy ruled in May 2025 that cultivated meat may be eaten and marketed on conditions: the cells must come "from an animal that is lawful to eat if it is alive, or from an animal that has been slaughtered according to Islamic law in cases where such slaughtering is required"; the cultivation must not use "a prohibited medium (e.g., flowing blood)" or "prohibited substances (e.g., gelatin derived from pigs)"; the whole process must be supervised by "a credible, specialized authority"; and the product must be safe.[1]
Singapore's MUIS Fatwa Committee had reached the same view in February 2024: cultivated meat "is generally halal or permissible to be consumed by Muslims" when the cells come from Halal animals, every ingredient is Halal, and the product is clean and non-toxic.[2] An earlier IslamQA answer (2018) declined to rule until the cell source and additives were known, and referred the question to specialist bodies like the Fiqh Council.[3]
What to check
The conditions are about where the cells came from and what they were grown in, which no ingredient list shows. So treat cultivated meat like any other meat: buy it with a Halal certificate. For the animals themselves, see beef and chicken.
Where you'll find it
- Cultivated chicken and beef products where they are approved for sale
Frequently asked questions
Is lab-grown meat Halal?
What does the Fiqh Academy require?
Is lab-grown pork Halal?
Scholarly view
The rulings treat cultivated meat like any meat: what matters is the animal the cells come from and whether anything prohibited enters the process. The Fiqh Academy accepts cells from a lawful animal while it is alive, or from one that was Islamically slaughtered where slaughter is required, and rules out a medium such as flowing blood or pork-derived gelatin.
Because these conditions sit inside the factory, both the Academy and MUIS tie them to supervision and certification.
Sources
Named Islamic, certifier, manufacturer, and regulatory sources used on this page. Inline markers like [1] jump here. Retrieval dates show when we last checked the live URL. Editorial methodology.
Islamic / scriptural
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Resolution No. 265 (10/26): Shari'ah Ruling on the Consumption and Marketing of Cultivated Meat
International Islamic Fiqh Academy Retrieved
Permits consuming and marketing cultivated meat on conditions: 'The cells must be derived from an animal that is lawful to eat if it is alive, or from an animal that has been slaughtered according to Islamic law in cases where such slaughtering is required'; the cultivation 'must not be done in a prohibited medium (e.g., flowing blood), nor include any prohibited substances (e.g., gelatin derived from pigs)'; the process must be supervised by 'a credible, specialized authority'; companies must disclose and authorities verify; and the product must be safe.
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Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS), Fatwa Committee Retrieved
3 February 2024: 'cultivated meat is generally halal or permissible to be consumed by Muslims', provided the 'cell source must be taken from animals that are halal to consume', 'every ingredient that makes up texture and composition of cultivated meat must be halal', and the 'product is non-toxic and clean'; 'if it is halal-certified, Singapore Muslims can choose whether to consume or otherwise.'
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Ruling on eating synthetic meat produced by using stem cells (252773)
IslamQA.info Retrieved
14 September 2018: 'We do not think that we should be hasty in issuing a ruling concerning such meat, until we know the source of the stem cells from which it is made and the nature of substances that are added in the manufacturing process, as well as the impact that it will have on human health.' It refers the question to specialist bodies such as the Islamic Fiqh Council.
