Singapore is Set On Normalising Cell-Based Protein Options
Singapore, the only place in the world that permits the commercial sale of lab-grown meat, is vying to bring the practice world-wide.
The city-state hosted dinner during the second week of COP27, serving cultivated chicken grown from animal cells in a bioreactor to representatives from nine countries. The science behind cell-based meat isn’t new. In fact, cell cultures were first used in medical research in 1907. Unfortunately, social stigma has been a limiting factor to bringing this sustainable option to the table.
As climate change threatens global marine ecosystems, the city-state is also leading a charge to allow, regulate, and ultimately normalise the commercial sale of cultivated seafood. Singapore’s enthusiasm, driven by the local diet and its own reliance on food imports, is matched by that of dozens of startups around the world, all of which are exploring ways to grow cell-based oysters, lobsters, and other marine species in laboratory settings — and figuring out how to get consumers interested in eating them.
Much of the existing research into cell-based meats have focused on poultry and beef. Seafood has remained a ripe space for innovation. Fish consumption has nearly doubled since the 1960s and at double the rate of population growth. With such a growing appetite for seafood, and a massive footprint associated with its transportation and storage, a more sustainable solution is nearly essential.
The fishing industry is also among the most vulnerable to a changing climate, as ocean acidification compromises marine habitats and warmer seawater shifts the distribution pattern of fish stocks. Less than two thirds of those stocks are now within biologically sustainable levels, down from 90% in 1974, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization.
Mirte Gosker, managing director of Singapore-based nonprofit Good Food Institute Asia Pacific, says threats to the seafood supply present an obvious moment for cultivated protein. “It’s simply a smarter way to make meat,” she says. “Asian markets play a central role in this shift. Of the top 10 countries that eat the most fish, seven of them are in Asia, creating an ocean of opportunity for alternative seafood producers.”
Investors also have eyes on that opportunity: Funding for cultivated seafood companies hit $115 million in 2021, according to GFI Asia Pacific. While that’s still small potatoes compared with the $1.3 billion that went into cell-based meat overall last year, it’s double the level of funding cultivated seafood received in 2020. The sector’s startups include Singapore-based Shiok Meats (shrimp and lobster), Germany’s Bluu Seafood (salmon, trout and carp), BluNalu in the US (tuna), and Hong Kong’s Avant Meats (fish maw).
Cracking the science on cultivated seafood, however, is only half the battle. Singapore has pledged to produce 30% of its food locally by 2030 (versus less than 10% now), which makes cell-based meat an appealing option. But no other country allows the commercial sale of cultivated protein yet, although some are getting closer. The Netherlands this year legalised the sampling of cultivated protein, and China’s new agricultural plan for the first time includes growing meat from animal cells as one of its prioritised technologies.
Singapore’s commitment to cell-based R&D and innovation is matched only by its commitment to normalising the product as a genuine food source.
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