Singapore Becomes The First Country to Issue Approval For The Sale of Cultured Meat

Disclaimer: Lab Grown Meat/Cell-Based is not vegan. It is a sustainable solution for people looking for meat alternatives.

2nd December 2020

Singapore just became the first country to give its approval to sell lab-grown meat.

Lab-grown or cultured meat has been an endeavor to create a product similar to conventional meat but with a more ethical and sustainable approach. Globally, companies like Mosa Meat and Memphis Meats have been in the forefront of the cultured meat industry.

After two years of waiting, the Singapore Food Agency gave its approval to Eat Just to sell their cultured chicken. The criteria for approval included meeting food safety requirements for novel foods, having a uniform manufacturing process, and meeting the quality and standard for poultry meat.

Cell-based meat is grown by harvesting muscle and fat cells from an animal and keeping them in a bioreactor to create a controlled environment, where they are fed until they develop into meat. Eat Just's cultured chicken, which will be a part of their brand Good Meat, is also free from antibiotics and is high in protein.

Eat Just is known for their plant-based egg substitute, Just Egg. The company is currently valued at $1.2 billion. They are also trying to get their product approved in other countries, including the United States, although high cost of production and regulatory approval remain an issue in the States.

Tetrick said that Eat Just's cultured chicken will be sold at the same price as that of premium chicken. For now, the product will only be sold to a single restaurant, and they wish to expand it to more restaurants before going into retail.

They are currently using 1,000 liter bioreactors, but will soon be moving to 5,000, 10,000, and 20,000 liters. Their aim is to be transparent with their customers about their production process and reduce the price below conventional chicken to make the product more accessible.

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