Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P].
San Francisco-based food innovation company East Just Inc. announced that, after a rigorous review process, its lab-grown chicken has been approved for sale in Singapore, which could mark the beginning of a new food in the future.
Through a statement the company said that this process is the first regulatory concession globally that allows the use of real meat grown directly in a laboratory for human consumption, from animal cells.
This breakthrough for the industry builds on Singapore's reputation as a global leader in culinary business, technology and innovation, and emphasises the country's dedication to entrepreneurial solutions that promote sound environmental management.
According to Eat Just co-founder and CEO Josh Tetrick, "Singapore has for many years been a leader in innovation, from information technology to bio-based products, and is now a world leader in building a healthier and safer food system."
This regulatory approval, he said, "will be the first of many in Singapore and other countries. In partnership with the agricultural sector and forward-thinking legislators, companies like ours can help meet the increased demand for animal protein as our population grows.
It should be noted that the role of cultured meat in creating a safer global food supply has been widely documented, and in the last decade has even led to an increase in the application of animal cell culture technology for the development of food products.
And is that meat production has increased dramatically in recent years. For example, in 2019 production was estimated at just over 335 million tons, while by 2050, consumption is expected to increase by more than 70 percent.
In addition to the public health crises associated with conventional meat consumption patterns, much safer, more efficient and less environmentally damaging ways of meeting growing consumer demand are required.
According to safety and quality validations conducted by the Food Agency of Singapore, the cultured chicken met poultry meat standards, with extremely low microbiological content and significantly cleaner than conventional chicken.
The analysis also showed that cultured chicken contains a high protein content, a diversified amino acid composition, a relatively high content of healthy monounsaturated fats and is a rich source of minerals.
And although at the moment this product is significantly more expensive than conventional chicken, as production increases it will become even cheaper than the chicken we are used to buying in supermarkets.
This is a much more sustainable way to cover the future food needs of the population, since this way of growing meat requires 99 percent less land and up to 96 percent less water.
The company is thus taking a further step towards the small-scale commercial launch of its new Good Meat brand, details of which will be announced at a later date.
