Monday, October 7, 2024

Singapore became the first country to approve the sale of lab-grown chicken

Food tech startup Eat Just announced that, after a rigorous consultation and review process, its cultured chicken has been approved for sale in Singapore as an ingredient in chicken bites. The company has developed other cultured chicken formats that will be an extension to this product line.

The first-in-the-world regulatory allowance of real, high-quality meat created directly from animal cells for safe human consumption paves the way for a forthcoming small-scale commercial launch in Singapore of Eat Just’s new GOOD Meat brand. The meat, which will be sold in the form of chicken nuggets, will be priced at high-quality chicken when it first launches at a Singapore restaurant “in the near future,” said co-founder and CEO Josh Tetrick.

This breakthrough for the global food industry builds on Singapore’s reputation as a world leader in business, technology, and culinary innovation. It underscores the country’s dedication to enterprising solutions that advance environmental stewardship.

GOOD Meat Cultured Chicken on a grill.
GOOD Meat Cultured Chicken on a grill. Credit: Eat Just

The startup claims that its product is healthier and more sustainable than chicken meat and that its scientists and experts have worked for months to prepare documentation on the production process. Eat Just also announced a plan to build and operate a production facility in Singapore to meet its product’s demand.

“This is a breakthrough for the global food industry,” Eat Just said in a statement today, as many companies look for ways to produce meat with less impact on the environment.

Meat consumption is expected to increase by 70% by 2050, according to the company, at a time when scientists warn that this trend is one of the main drivers of climate change. Major public health crises have been linked to patterns of conventional meat consumption; hence, safer, more efficient, and less environmentally harmful ways of producing meat are urgently required to satisfy growing consumer demand.

Eat Just, based in San Francisco, is also in talks with US authorities to approve the sale of lab-grown chicken.

Dozens of startups worldwide are working on plans to create artificial meat, but production has so far remained in the experimental stage.

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