1/25/2021 Singapore approves lab-grown 'chicken' meat - BBC News

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1/25/2021 Singapore approves lab-grown 'chicken' meat - BBC News

EAT JUST

Eat Just chicken nuggets

Singapore has given regulatory approval for the world’s first “clean meat”
that does not come from slaughtered animals.

The decision paves the way for San Francisco-based startup Eat Just to sell ADVERTISEMENT
lab-grown chicken meat.

The meat will initially be used in nuggets, but the company hasn’t said when
they will become available.

Demand for alternatives to regular meat has surged due to consumer

concerns about health, animal welfare and the environment.

According to Barclays, the market for meat alternatives could be worth

$140bn (£104bn) within the next decade, or about 10% of the $1.4tn global
meat industry.

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Plant-based meat options such as Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods are
increasingly found on supermarket shelves and restaurant menus.

But Eat Just’s product is different because it is not plant based, but instead
grown from animal muscle cells in a lab.

Breakthrough
The company called it a "breakthrough for the global food industry" and hopes
other countries will now follow suit.

Over the last decade, dozens of start-ups have attempted to bring cultured
meat to market, hoping to win over conventional meat eaters with the promise Features
of a more ethical product.

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1/25/2021 Singapore approves lab-grown 'chicken' meat - BBC News

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Two of the largest are Israel-based Future Meat Technologies and the Bill
Gates-backed Memphis Meats, which are both trying to enter the market with
affordable and tasty lab grown meats. Has US vaccine rollout been a
'dismal failure'?
Singapore’s Shiok Meats is working on lab grown crustacean meats.

While many have touted the environmental benefits, some scientists have
suggested it might be worse for climate change under some circumstances.

Challenges ahead
By Mariko Oi, BBC News Singapore What it's like under one of world's
strictest lockdowns
The boss of Eat Just called it "one of the most significant milestones in the
food industries" but challenges remain.

Firstly, it is much more expensive to produce lab-grown meat than plant-based

products.

Case in point: Eat Just previously said it would sell lab-grown chicken nuggets
at $50 each.

The cost has since come down but it will still be as expensive as premium
chicken.
Are Egypt's dreams of democracy
Another challenge for the company is the reaction of consumers. still alive?

But Singapore's approval of Eat Just's product will likely attract competitors
to set up operations in the city state, and it could also prompt other countries
to approve it, too.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55155741 Safe ‘novel foodʼ 3/7

1/25/2021 Singapore approves lab-grown 'chicken' meat - BBC News

Safe novel food

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said an expert working group reviewed data How India calculates value of
on Eat Just’s manufacturing control and safety testing of the cultured chicken. women's housework

“It was found to be safe for consumption at the intended levels of use, and was
allowed to be sold in Singapore as an ingredient in Eat Just’s nuggets
product,” the SFA said.

The agency said it has put in place a regulatory framework for “novel food” to
ensure that cultured meat and other alternative protein products meet safety
standards before they are sold in Singapore.

“I'm sure that our regulatory approval for cultured meat will be the first of Why your face could be set to
many in Singapore and in countries around the globe,” said Josh Tetrick, the replace your bank card
Eat Just co-founder in a media release.

No antibiotics were used in the process, and the chicken had lower
microbiological content than conventional chicken, the company said.

“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,” Eat Just said.

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