Cell-based meat to be approved by Singapore
Singapore is set to become the first country in the world to approve cultivated meat products for commercial sale following the development of cell-based nuggets.
The Singapore Food Agency said that the cell-based chicken produced by San Francisco-based start-up, Eat Just, met the safety standards for use in nuggets, opening the door for a commercial launch in the country.
Eat Just described the move as a “breakthrough for the global food industry” and outlined its hope for more countries to follow suit over coming years.
The move comes off the back of retailers and fast-food chains expanding their plant-based food options, with McDonald’s planning to release a ‘McPlant’ range in 2021 and with supermarkets such as Tesco’s targeting a 300% rise in vegan ‘meat’ sales.
“I think the approval is one of the most significant milestones in the food industry in the last handful of decades.”
Cultured meat, otherwise known as cultivated meat, involves the use of animal cells to create what is alleged to be realistic meat-like food products, without slaughter. In this case, the products come from a cell bank established from a biopsy of a live chicken.
Josh Tetrick, CEO of Eat Just, said: “I think the approval is one of the most significant milestones in the food industry in the last handful of decades. It’s an open door and it’s up to us and other companies to take that opportunity. My hope is this leads to a world in the next handful of years where the majority of meat doesn’t require killing a single animal or tearing down a single tree.”
However, the growth medium for the production line includes fetal bovine serum, which is extracted from cattle fetuses, generally in slaughterhouses.
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