First Country In The World Approves No-kill Lab-grown Meat

Singapore is the first country in the world to issue a regulatory approval for lab-grown meat to go on sale. Singaporean Food Agency has approved Eat Just's cultured chicken. The decision means that Eat Just can start selling their lab-grown chicken meat as an ingredient.

Cultured meat is made by putting stem cells from the fat or muscle of an animal into a culture medium that feeds the cells. The medium then stays in a special bioreactor which supports the cells' growth. This kind of meat has a high protein content and a diversified amino acid composition. It contains no salmonella and E. coli.

Josh Tetrick, CEO of Eat Just said in the interview: "We think that [the way] to really solve the meat problem — which is a health problem, a deforestation problem, a morality problem — is to make animal protein."

For the last ten year, food tech companies have been developing cell-cultured meat that is both tasty and affordable in an effort to end animal farming. Cultured meat products are not only better for the environment for consumers and better for the environment.

Eat Just is one of the biggest disruptors in the food industry in recent years. The brand is known for creating the world's first plant-based liquid egg. This year, it has raised $300 million and was last valued at $1.2 billion. The company has been working toward receiving approval from the Singapore Food Agency for about two years. To do so, it had to prove the cell-based meat, and it's manufacturing process are safe for the consumers and meet the quality standards of poultry meat. 

The cost of producing cultured meat is still very high compared to traditional chicken. Eat Just said the company plans to price its cell-based chicken similar to that of premium chicken. For now, the product will launch under a new brand Good Meat in one restaurant in Singapore. As the company scales, it will be reducing the price of the product. It also plans a massive advertising campaign based on transparency to gain consumer trust and attract more people to try the product. 

Tetrick said: "We're going to start out with a single restaurant and then scale out to five, 10, 15 and then eventually into retail."

"Ultimately, this doesn't become something until it becomes the cost of something that really matters, until we're below the cost of conventional chicken," he added.

The Singaporean authorities decision is a big win for food activists who are fighting to end the animal farming in the world. 

"A new space race for the future of food is underway," Good Food Institute Executive Director Bruce Friedrich said in a statement.