Lab-grown chicken meat is going to be found on menus in restaurants in Singapore soon, which recently became the first country to produce green-light meat without slaughtering any animals.
Singapore becomes the first county in the world to produce lab-grown meat
On Wednesday, the startup Eat Just said that the meat, which was used as an ingredient in Chicken nuggets, was approved for sale in the city, following Singapore Food Agency approval.
Josh Tetrick, co-founder and CEO of the Eat Just startup, said that the approval of green-light meat will be the first one in Scotland and many other countries in the world. He added that they had been consuming meat for thousands of years, always needing to kill an animal to consume – until that day.
The consumption of regular meat represents an environmental thread because cattle produce methane, a concentrated greenhouse gas. The request for meat alternatives is increasing because of the consumers’ pressure about the environment and animal welfare. Moreover, consumers showed concerns about the price of green-light meat, considering that it would be expensive.
However, the spokesman of Eat Just stated that they are trying to reduce the cost and make it affordable for its customers.
He did not reveal the price of the chicken meat, but he added that it would be soon available in restaurants in Singapore. He also believed that the cost of the green-light meat would be lower than the traditional one in the next years.
Soaring meat consumption
To produce a chicken alternative, the company carried out over 20 production runs in 1200-liter bioreactors and checked on its safety. They proved that lab-grown meat, also known as cultured meat, meets the required standards. It has a high protein content and is rich in minerals.
Tetrick said that the company expects that the consumption of meat would increase by 70% by 2050. Moreover, he added that their company, in collaboration with forward-thinking policymakers and the broader agriculture sector, can achieve the increased request for animal production.
For now, with manufacturing hubs in Northern California and Singapore, the company got approval to sell the lab-grown meat in Singapore. However, it hopes that it could expand the sale of cultured meat into Europe and the United States.
The trend of replacing conventional meat with plant-based protein and meat substitutes is taking hold in the United States and Asia.
After confirming that the chicken meat was safe for consumption, the Singapore Food Agency approved the sale of lab-grown chicken meat in nuggets.
William Chen, a member of the city-state’s regulator, said that meat safety was a priority while producing green-light meat alternatives. He added that Singapore imports over 90% of its food from overseas because it has not agriculture. They are also looking for ways to improve the availability of green-light chicken locally.
