The Singapore Food Agency has granted a food production licence to ScaleUp Bio’s commercial-scale facility for submerged- and precision-fermented ingredients.

ScaleUp Bio has received a food manufacturing licence from Singapore’s regulatory body to allow companies to produce fermentation-derived ingredients on an industrial scale.

A joint venture between Nurasa (the food innovation platform of state-owned investment firm Temasek) and global nutrition giant ADM, ScaleUp Bio is now one of just a few contract development and manufacturing organisations (CDMOs) globally to be approved as a food production facility.

It means food tech startups can use its newly opened 2,300 sq m facility to produce ingredients derived from submerged microbial and precision fermentation technologies. Situated in the high-tech manufacturing district of Tuas in west Singapore, the plant has fermentation and associated downstream processing capacities of up to 10,000 litres.

It represents another major milestone for Singapore’s thriving food tech ecosystem – at least 25 non-local companies have a presence in the city-state for R&D and business development, while it’s home to almost a quarter (24%) of all alternative protein startups in Asia-Pacific.

Advancing fermentation companies’ route to market

First announced in October 2022, the facility houses innovation hubs and technical specialists to ensure quality control and safe production standards, alongside a full suite of business advisory, Asia market entry, and other related services.

The food manufacturing licence signals its fulfilment of the Singapore Food Agency’s (SFA) stringent regulations. These requirements entail adherence to specific infrastructure and facility standards for food safety production, and emphasise training, collaboration, and regulatory compliance to uphold hygiene and operational excellence.

“ScaleUp Bio’s value proposition offers anyone with the next best concept in food to bring that idea to reality, and to pilot stage commercial production in Singapore, backed by a blue-chip corporate ecosystem of support. With this milestone, we are moving one step forward towards enabling the next food revolution,” said ScaleUP Bio CEO Francisco Codoñer. “We are deeply grateful to SFA for this milestone, and we are ready to go.”

“At Nurasa, we are committed to pioneering a new world of sustainably produced nutrition solutions for our planet,” added Nurasa CEO Guo Xiu Ling. “ScaleUp Bio’s milestone from SFA is a pivotal step forward in this journey.”

Last November, ScaleUp Bio secured its first customers to aid process optimisation and scale up production. Australia’s Nourish Ingredients, which makes precision-fermented fats for meat and dairy analogues, teamed up with the CDMO to support its Asia growth. It will be supported by the 10,000-litre fermentation and 100-litre thermal processing capacity provided by ScaleUp Bio. Nourish Ingredient’s Tastilux fat is already undergoing the SFA’s regulatory approval process.

Additionally, it also signed letters of intent with New York-based C16 Biosciences (which makes a fermented palm oil alternative), Malaysian plant-based meat brand Ultimeat, and Singaporean food tech startup Allium Bio, which co-cultures algae and mycelium to turn into functional ingredients like protein isolates.

Twin fermentation facilities represent ‘pioneering initiative’

ScaleUp Bio’s facility complements its Fermentation Joint Lab, part of Nurasa’s 3,840 sq m Food Tech Innovation Centre (FTIC), which was publicly unveiled earlier this month.

Developed and operated by ScaleUp Bio and the state-owned Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), the food-grad lab has bioreactors with a capacity of up to 100 litres and enables startups to foster their ideas via R&D.

This is, in fact, one of two facilities operated by ScaleUp Bio within the FTIC. The second one is home to its new headquarters, and focuses on high-moisture extrusion (HME) for plant proteins to make meat analogues with superior texture and mouthfeel.

The CDMO has also penned deals with partners for its Fermentation Joint Lab, which sees fellow Singaporean companies Allozymes and Algrow Biosciences accelerate the development of their precision-fermented engineering platform and algae protein pigment, respectively. Meanwhile, Canada’s Terra Bioindustries, which upcycled agrifood products into sustainable inputs, and the UK’s Argento Labs, which uses biotech to develop high-value products, have signed letters of intent too.

These clients will benefit from the nutrition and innovation expertise provided by ADM too. “ScaleUp Bio stands as a significant joint venture with Temasek’s Nurasa, demonstrating our commitment to meeting Asia’s unique food needs.,” said Gary McGuigan, ADM’s Asia-Pacific president. “We look forward to continuing our support for ScaleUp Bio and aspiring food-tech companies as we collectively pave the way for a more sustainable food system.”

Codoñer said the two fermentation facilities “represent a pioneering initiative for Singapore and globally”. “From R&D to pilot scale, our fermentation expertise ensures excellence,” he stated, inviting food tech startups to engage with its facilities. “Transitioning from bench to market? Our collaborative ecosystem – including parent and sister companies, research institutions, and industry partners – offers guidance.”

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Californian cultivated meat pioneer Eat Just has hit a major milestone in the sector, debuting Good Meat chicken in the freezers of Huber’s Butchery in Singapore – the first time these proteins are available in retail.

You can now cook cultivated chicken at home, thanks to Eat Just’s landmark move into the freezers of Huber’s Butchery in Singapore, making it the first cultivated meat product to be sold for retail anywhere in the world.

As the first company to ever receive regulatory approval to sell cultivated meat, the Good Meat chicken has been available at various foodservice points in the island nation since 2020. But moving into retail is a major breakthrough for an industry that has so far struggled to manufacture enough product and keep costs down for such a rollout.

This has been enabled by the launch of the latest iteration of Eat Just’s chicken, titled Good Meat 3. It’s a lower-cost formulation comprised of fewer cultivated meat cells, going from 60-70% to just 3% of the product. The rest is made up of wheat and soy proteins, sunflower and coconut oils, natural flavours, modified food starch and soy lecithin, and comes seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Available in the freezer section of Huber’s Butchery – which previously sold the product as part of several dishes – the shredded chicken is priced at S$7.20 ($5.35) for a 120g pack. “This format gives the best texture and versatility for home chefs to prepare in a wide variety of dishes,” Eat Just CEO Josh Tetrick tells Green Queen when asked about the meat cut.

“Giving consumers the opportunity to buy cultivated chicken in-store and bring it home to prepare and serve to their families is a huge step towards normalising this new type of food,” he says, revealing that a retail launch has been a goal from the start.

Switching up the hybrid composition to lower costs

The retail launch marks the debut of Good Meat 3, a new product crafted by Eat Just that could potentially end up as a foodservice offering as well. It was produced at ESCO Aster (the world’s first regulator-approved contract manufacturer for cultivated meat), while the extrusion process was completed at Nurasa’s newly unveiled Food Tech Innovation Centre, another Eat Just partner.

By retuning the composition to use a smaller percentage of cultivated meat, the startup is now able to sell its chicken at retail-friendly costs, which is a major step towards the commercialisation of the sector. Hybrid meats – which combine cultivated animal cells with plant-based ingredients – have been described by investors as the only way to make cultivated meat commercially feasible.

Heather Courtney, general partner at Alwyn Capital, told Green Queen in December: “The chances of being able to economically produce 100% cultivated products that can compete on price with commoditised meat are slim to none in the next 10+ years.”

But equally crucial to the success of these meats is the taste factor – it’s what attracted consumers to Good Meat too. A survey of diners at Huber’s Bistro suggested that buying and eating cultivated the cultivated chicken “significantly boosted” people’s acceptance of it. On a scale of 1 to 5, respondents displayed a strong willingness to try it again (a score of 4.41) and rated its flavour 4.21/5.

Eat Just – which has reduced production costs by 90% since 2018 – promises that despite the change in formulation, Good Meat 3 does not compromise on flavour, texture or nutrition. According to sensory testing, consumers find the product exceptional in taste, texture, and appearance. “Our initial sensory data has yielded overwhelmingly positive feedback on taste and texture, and we’re excited to see how home chefs will use GOOD Meat 3 in their favourite recipes,” says Tetrick. This indicated that “consumers will agree that it tastes like conventional chicken”.

The Good Meat chicken is also nutritionally on par with conventional chicken, and superior in some aspects. Per 100g, it delivers 28.6g of protein, 5.75g of fat (1.9g of which is saturated), 5.7mg of cholesterol, and 2.2g of fibre.

The retail rollout – combined with the lower price – will effect a major propulsion of sales for the company. “To date, we’ve sold more than 2,000 servings of GOOD Meat in Singapore alone, and with the introduction of GOOD Meat 3, we will sell more than that in 2024,” outlines Tetrick.

Cultivated meat gains ground in Singapore

The launch coincides with the reopening of Huber’s Butchery, which has undergone an extensive renovation. Starting today, Singaporeans can buy frozen cultivated chicken for the remainder of 2024. “Huber’s Butchery has been a true partner and advocate for Good Meat for over a year, and we are thrilled to continue working with them on this historic launch,” Tetrick says.

“Having the latest version of Good Meat 3 cultivated chicken available for retail is another step in this journey to make cultivated meat available to a bigger audience,” says Andre Huber, executive director of Huber’s. “People will have the opportunity to prepare the product the way they want and experience how it can fit into their home-cooked meals.”

Mirte Gosker, managing director at industry think tank the Good Food Institute APAC, adds: “The world will soon get its first look at what home chefs choose to do with cultivated meat when the choices are infinite. There’s no better place for this culinary exploration to happen than Singapore, which has a well-earned reputation as an epicentre of market testing thanks to its renowned food culture, multiethnic population, and outsize presence of world-class research facilities.”

It means that at present, there are two different cultivated meat products available to Singaporeans. In April, the country’s food safety regulator cleared Australia’s Vow to sell its cultivated quail, which has since been doing the rounds at restaurants – it’s currently on the menu at Tippling Club. Later this year, Dutch producer Meatable also expects to get the greenlight and launch its cultivated pork into foodservice.

But Eat Just, for now, remains the only company to put cultivated meat in retail freezers. “We know there is much more work to be done to prove that cultivated meat can be made at large scale, and we remain focused on that objective,” says Tetrick.

Contending with legal and political threats

The retail milestone comes as the cultivated meat startup faces various challenges in its home country. It has been embroiled in a $100M lawsuit with contract manufacturer ABEC over unpaid bills. Earlier this month, the judge in Pennsylvania sided with Eat Just on some matters, and ABEC on others. The case is still ongoing.

Meanwhile, the states of Florida and Alabama have banned cultivated meat this month, in a move widely panned by alternative protein experts, the press, and even the meat industry. This bill sends a terrible message to the investors, scientists, and entrepreneurs that have built America’s global leadership in alternative proteins,”  Tom Rossmeissl, Eat Just’s global marketing head, told Green Queen after Florida’s ban.

“The law will not stop the development of cultivated meat,” he added. “And Good Meat remains committed to its mission: making real meat without needing to tear down a rainforest.”

Despite its financial troubles (the company has faced at least seven lawsuits since 2019) Tetrick has previously outlined Eat Just’s plans to break even in 2024. The startup, which has raised over $850M to date, earned 99.9% of its revenue from its vegan Just Egg business, as of November. “we are focused on the daily execution of our zero-burn plan (i.e., cover operating costs through margin dollars) and serving our customers. If we execute, the company and its missions win. It’ll be challenging and hard – and it’s up to us to get it done,” Tetrick told this publication at the time.

Now, he reiterates that target, explaining: “Eat Just is on track to achieve break-even by the end of 2024.” He adds that the company has no firm plans about foodservice at this point, but is “considering a variety of options to make our chicken available to wider audiences”. Its campaign-style production runs and rollouts have seen the Good Meat chicken appear on the menus of hawker stalls and fine-dining eateries in Singapore, as well as China Chilcano in Washington, DC.

Asked about Eat Just’s plans for 2024, Tetrick says: “We look forward to hearing feedback from Huber’s customers about GOOD Meat 3, and will use this input as we continue to make our product better.”

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In one of his final major speeches, outgoing Singapore prime minister Lee Hsien Loong mentioned “novel food biotechnologies” as a promising job prospect – it’s a nod to the country’s food tech pedigree.

In two weeks’ time, Lee Hsien Long will leave office after serving as Singapore’s prime minister for two decades. In that time, Singapore has undergone a transformation, emerging as the global frontier for food tech, thanks to a favourable research, funding and manufacturing environment, and progressive regulations.

In his annual speech on May Day – or Labour Day – at the Marina Bay Sands convention centre this week, Lee highlighted the actions that have brought success to Singapore. In one part of the speech, he touched upon how all parts of the island are equipped with good schools to provide equal opportunities to everyone, regardless of economic status or locale.

This, he highlighted, is why Singapore’s youth or graduate unemployment rates are very low. “Young people take up jobs that did not even exist in their parents’ generation,” he said.

“They become data scientists, machine learning engineers, carbon traders, novel food biotechnologies,” he added, nodding to the country’s flourishing food tech scene. He followed this up with a quick explanation too – “that means you take a plant and you make it look like wagyu beef” – which brought some laughs from the audience.

For Lee to namecheck alternative proteins in a speech about the most promising job sectors, and even go on to highlight what it entails, is reflective of Singapore’s strong standing in the industry. It’s why so many food tech startups flock to the city-state from around the world, and cherry-pick it as the perfect location to go to market.

The career opportunities in alternative proteins

Lee’s speech came just a week after Nurasa, the sustainable food innovation platform of state-owned VC firm Temasek, inaugurated the Food Tech Innovation Centre (FTIC), a hub dedicated to the R&D and scale-up of alternative proteins.

And last month, Singapore saw the opening of a new Future Food Lab at Singapore Polytechnic, an effort to scale up its capacity for novel food manufacturing and attract investments in R&D. It will also support Singapore’s 30 by 30 food security vision – the goal is to have 30% of food produced domestically by 2030 (it’s currently under 10%) – with innovation like low-sodium plant-based meats and high-fibre mushroom protein bars.

This followed the launch of a first-of-its-kind career map for plant-based meat manufacturing in the Lion City, initiated by alternative protein think tank the Good Food Institute (GFI) APAC. It entails ingredient extraction and optimisation, formulation and texturisation, product application development, commercial-scale manufacturing, and quality and regulatory management, with the aim of building a bigger, more skilled workforce that can scale up and lower the costs of future food production.

GFI APAC highlights the job roles involved in these segments, including food technologists, application scientists, and factory operators – underlining the different skillsets and expertise levels that the industry requires. In fact, according to the ClimateWorks Foundation and the Global Methane Hub, the alternative protein sector could support up to 83 million jobs internationally by 2050.

“The city-state’s scientific talent pool is its greatest resource, carefully cultivated by visionary leaders who see not only the career fields that exist now but also those that will drive the economies of the future,” said Mirte Gosker, managing director of GFI APAC.

“Creating a booming business ecosystem requires not only financial investment but confidence that the national strategies spearheaded by various public agencies are aligned with the private sector on an industry’s long-term ambitions,” she added.

Singapore’s food tech prowess

Gosker noted that Lee’s shoutout to novel food biotechnologists is “just the latest signal to alternative protein startups and researchers that Singapore’s leadership is committed to helping them succeed”.

The country was famously the first to approve the sale of cultivated meat, with Eat Just earning it for its Good Meat chicken back in 2020. In March, it greenlit Australia’s Vow too, which is now selling its cultivated quail via a series of restaurant partnerships (it’s currently at Tippling Club). More such approvals are expected, with Israel’s Aleph Farms (which has already been cleared to sell cultivated beef in its home country), Dutch producer Meatable, and French startup Vitalmeat among the companies expecting the go-ahead this year.

But it’s not just regulatory breakthroughs. As community and youth minister Alvin Tan outlined at an agrifood conference in October, the country is a hotbed for food tech, inviting companies to “come to the best place in the world for food innovation”.

GFI APAC similarly labelled the island a “global testbed” for the industry, helping startups incubate, innovate, partner and export their alternative protein innovations internationally. At least 25 non-local companies have a presence in Singapore for R&D and business development, while it’s home to almost a quarter (24%) of all alternative protein startups in Asia-Pacific.

“Despite its small population and lack of natural resources, Singapore is responsible for nearly a quarter of all alt protein scientific publications released in APAC since 2020, and is home to three of the five most active regional research centres,” noted Gosker.

But with Lee leaving his post, will it be a tall order for incoming prime minister Lawrence Wong to maintain the progress built on his predecessor’s 20 years in charge? Gosker doesn’t think so, explaining that policy continuity and progressive change are “key tenets of the Singapore model, which leverages public investments to cumulatively improve citizens’ livelihoods over the short and long term”.

“Singapore puts a high priority on building durable institutions that lift up whole sectors, such as shared-use facilities for alt protein R&D and production that are greater than any individual company or person,” she said. “Prime minister Lee name-dropping novel food biotechnologists in one of his final major speeches is further evidence that leadership in food innovation is now central to Singapore’s national identity.”

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Singaporean sustainable food production platform Nurasa has opened a Food Tech Innovation Centre to help alternative protein companies scale up production and enhance flavour and nutrition.

Nurasa, the sustainable food innovation platform owned by Temasek, last week inaugurated the Food Tech Innovation Centre (FTIC) in Singapore, a hub dedicated to the R&D and scale-up of alternative proteins.

Operational since 2023, the 3,840 sq m facility is located within Biopolis – the city-state’s innovation community – and features high-tech labs with plant protein extrusion and precision fermentation capabilities. They’re designed to help sustainable food manufacturers scale up their production processes and accelerate their paths to market.

“The centre provides a space for different companies to come together and innovate, which benefits not just Singapore but also the wider region,” said Singapore’s deputy prime minister, Heng Swee Keat, who was present at the FTIC’s launch.

Precision fermentation and HME labs unlock alt-protein potential

The FTIC features shared laboratories, collaborative workspaces, private suites adaptable for small offices, and labs where partners can co-create. It has two facilities with advanced capabilities that will allow alternative protein companies to speed up manufacturing. The first is a precision fermentation hub developed and operated by contract development and manufacturing organisation ScaleUp Bio (a joint venture between Nurasa and ADM) and the government-owned Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR). This has bioreactors that have a capacity of up to 100 litres.

“Public-private partnerships can help accelerate innovation by kickstarting research and development in areas of emerging technology, facilitating talent exchange and minimising duplications in investments,” said Heng. “Doing so will enable more viable pathways to translation, commercialisation, and scaling for impact.”

Meanwhile, the second facility is owned by ScaleUp Bio and will serve as its new headquarters, focusing on high-moisture extrusion (HME) for plant proteins, with the goal of making meat analogues with superior texture and mouthfeel.

“At the Food Tech Innovation Centre, cutting-edge technology is at the heart of everything we do,” said Nurasa CEO Guo Xiuling. “Our facility enables us to challenge the status quo of the existing food system and develop solutions alongside our startup and corporate partners.”

She added that both labs can serve as small-scale production sites to make limited samples for market testing, allowing companies to tweak products based on consumer feedback at early stages, and eventually commercialise a public-ready product.

The FTIC will also serve as a hub for the NuFood Concept Studio, Nurasa’s open innovation platform for sustainable food development and commercialisation. The studio encourages consumer-centric food innovation and addresses areas like low-sugar, cholesterol-free and gut-friendly foods. Companies will be able to search for the newest ingredients, co-develop recipes based on market insights and the latest tech, and deliver accessible, adaptable and affordable breakthroughs to strengthen food security – Singapore’s 30 by 30 initiative aims to reduce import reliance by producing 30% of all food consumed in the island nation by 2030.

Nurasa’s FTIC a breeding ground for innovation

The ecosystem at the FTIC comprises industry partners, portfolio companies and joint ventures like ScaleUp Bio and Cremer Sustainable Foods, a joint venture of Nurasa and German agrifood giant Cremer. For the unveiling of the centre, Cremer Sustainable Foods worked with Australian precision fermentation startup Nourish Ingredients, which makes animal-free fats and lipids to enhance alternative proteins.

The two entities created a vegan chicken satay using Nourish Ingredients’ Tastilux fat, for which it’s in the middle of the Singapore Food Agency’s regulatory approval process, according to the Straits Times. Once it receives the all-clear, products using Tastilux will be allowed to be sold to consumers in the country. (The company recently also showcased its Creamilux fat for use in dairy alternatives and confectionery.)

Cremer Sustainable Foods, whose 1,000 sq m lab can pump out 1,300 tonnes of product per year, is making plant-based duck strips and siu mai, and is preparing to launch ready-to-eat vegan black pepper chicken and laksa next month.

Such innovations are rife at Nurasa’s FTIC. Local food manufacturer Lim Kee has also partnered with Cremer Sustainable Foods to launch its vegan chilli crab pau (a bun filled with Singapore’s national seafood dish). The former is working with Swiss ingredients giant Givaudan to improve the chilli crab’s flavour.

Speaking of which, Givaudan created a chocolate milk with 50% less cocoa with the same taste and mouthfeel – cocoa production has a heavy climate impact and is littered with human rights abuses. To make up for the lack of cocoa, the company used a combination of different ingredients that can help reduce its carbon footprint.

Meanwhile, beanless coffee startup Prefer – which raised $2M in funding in February and recently launched a line of black cold brew concentrates (caffeinated and decaf) for cocktail bars – is manufacturing, processing and packaging its products at the FTIC as well.

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Singapore-based 70/30 Food Tech has closed a $700,000 seed extension round, which has helped it launch a research lab to develop mycelium-based protein products, starting with shredded chicken.

70/30 Food Tech’s latest fundraiser saw participation from existing seed investors as well as Better Bite Ventures. The round has facilitated the opening of a Mycelium Research Lab to advance the startup’s R&D into fungi-based proteins.

“We believe that mycelium-based sustainable protein products can be a gateway to broader consumer adoption in Asia, especially given the familiarity and positive perception of fungi in the region,” said Better Bite Ventures founding partner Michal Klar. “We liked 70/30 Food Tech’s product pipeline and unique go-to-market strategy.”

Founded in 2020 by Eve Samyuktha and Mike Huang, F&B consultants working in China’s plant-based sector, the company makes vegan ready meals using its biomass-fermented mycelium chicken. In 2021 alone, as part of its test launch, it shifted 25,000 of these meals.

Now, to scale up and expand further, 70/30 Food Tech has launched its new research lab in Bangalore, a city known as India’s tech hub. “We chose Bangalore not only for the R&D, but also are aiming India as one of our markets for future products,” Samyuktha told Green Queen. “The per capita consumption of meat in India is significantly low compared to [the] rest of Asia. However, there is a rising demand for poultry and we want to be on the brink of it and offer exciting solutions.”

She added: “Having the lab in Bangalore is super cost-effective compared to Singapore, so the iterations and runs are larger in number.”

Using mycelium to offer Asians cost-effective alternative proteins

The company began its initial pilot-scale experiments in biomass fermentation in 2021 at the Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, with the primary aim of developing affordable alternative protein solutions. Having surveyed several B2B consumers – for whom it makes mushroom- and soy-based proteins, including the Chinese restaurant chain Guaka – the startup concluded that price is a key aspect of protein diversification.

“Achieving cost-efficiency is crucial and food businesses in China and other parts of Asia will likely be interested in products that can offer competitive pricing compared to animal-based products and this, in turn, can attract a larger market share and drive adoption,” said Doris Lee, CEO of GFIC, GFIC, the independent partner organisation of the Good Food Institute APAC.

A report by alternative protein think tank Food Frontier last year found China to be the most favourable market for plant-based food, although India was on the other end of the list. But across Southeast Asia, high price was a key barrier for these foods. Analysis by Asymmetrics Research also found that in China, many middle-income consumers are cutting back their impulse spending and looking for better-value products. Pork and beef prices have fallen, toughening the challenge for plant-based brands trying to sell to foodservice, which is a cost-sensitive approach.

Moreover, a recent study has shown that mycelium production can be done on a large scale and with lower costs, developing a protein that can grow in a relatively short period – days instead of the months or years it takes to grow animal-derived or even plant-based food. With greater investment in resources and infrastructure to cut production costs and educate consumers on mycelium as a potential dietary staple, the authors argue that the fungi ingredient could be a solution for global hunger and food insecurity.

While manufacturing costs are currently under wraps, 70/30 Food Tech will likely be looking to reach price parity with conventional chicken – already one of the cheapest meat products you can buy – sooner rather than later.

70/30 Food Tech to replace existing offering with mycelium chicken

The mycelium study above also extolled the fungi root’s nutritional and environmental benefits. This is important for 70/30 Food Tech too, with Samyuktha noting that the startup is working to get its mycelium certified as a carbon-neutral food – a process that requires extensive data collection.

“Our feedstock is byproducts of other food manufacturers that would be generally regarded as waste, but safe for food reuse,” she explained. “Data required will involve the entire supply chain of the mycelium production, including cost of transportation, how we isolate and extract the parent strains to the downstream processing, storage and packing.”

The study, which was authored by employees of US mycelium meat leader Meati, revealed that mycelium can take on different desired tasting notes through biochemistry and flavour chemistry, while being high in protein with all essential amino acids and micronutrients. It has been shown to lower LDL cholesterol too, with the potential to reduce food waste by valorising the sidestream and be produced in a cost-effective manner.

“Nutritionally, I am excited to say that not only the amino acid profiles are similar to meat, but certain amino acids are significantly higher compared to chicken,” said Samyuktha. Additionally, biomass fermentation allows companies to eschew the extrusion process commonly used for soy protein, while the use of specially mutated fungi strains and bioreactor process designs allows 70/30 Food Tech to follow a close-to-market commercialisation approach.

“The first pilot run successfully gave us the texture of shredded chicken,” the founder said, before adding: “The key challenge is the downstream processing and ‘odour’ removal, which has been very time consuming.” But it’s not just chicken – or meat, for that matter – that’s in the works. “We are dabbling with a possible fatty substitute for traditional cow-milk butter.”

With retail a capital-intensive channel, the focus remains on B2B solutions, where 70/30 Food Tech wants to replace its current offering with its mycelium-based mushroom-soy blend, pending regulatory approval.

The startup was Asia’s first mycelium protein company, while last year, Shanghai-based CellX expanded into the sector too. It’s an industry that has seen a flurry of innovations and developments in the last year. This includes Meati’s launch of a D2C marketplace, chicken nuggets and mycelium jerky SKUs, Esencia Foods‘ whole-cut seafood analogues, Better Nature‘s soybean mycelium chicken, Libre Foods‘ whole-cut chicken breast, and Bolder Foods‘ cheese alternatives.

Plus, investors have shown heightened interest in the sector, with MyForest Foods bagging a $15M Series A extension in June and Infinite Roots securing $58M in Series B funding last month.

The post 70/30 Food Tech Closes $700K Seed Extension & Launches Research Lab for Mycelium Protein appeared first on Green Queen.

The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore has issued a fatwa declaring that cultivated meat is generally halal, and Muslims can eat these products as long as they adhere to halal standards.

The Fatwa Committee of the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS) has announced that cultivated meat can be considered halal, and the country’s Muslims are allowed to consume it if certain conditions are met.

The sole entity with the legal power to issue halal certificates in Singapore, Muis’s fatwa ruled that cultured meat can be halal if the cells are sourced from animals Muslims are allowed to consume (for example, chicken but not pork), and there’s no mixing of non-halal components in the manufacturing process.

The ruling was issued at Muis’s Fatwa Conference on February 3, and marks an important next step for cultivated meat’s progress in a country that first approved its sale in 2020, and 15.6% of whose citizens are Muslim. Halal diets refer to food consumption in accordance with Islamic law – when it comes to meat, it means animals must be slaughtered in a prescribed way, and certain types of meat and byproducts – including pork and blood products – are prohibited.

The halal conditions cultivated meat must follow

The fatwa comes after over a year of deliberation by the Islamic council, which – supported by the Office of the Mufti – consulted stakeholders like the Singapore Food Agency, industry bodies like the Good Food Institute (GFI) APAC, and scientists and other experts. Plus, Muis visited a local cultivated meat production facility, with scholars perusing the matter from all angles of the Islamic perspective, and taking into account Singapore’s “socio-religious realities”.

While presenting the results of the study on Saturday, the Fatwa Committee outlined the environmental and food security benefits of cultivated meat, finding that its pros outweigh any perceived cons. Muis said its fatwa was underpinned by the Islamic principles that it serves to preserve human life and protect the environment. “The fatwa also considers the Islamic legal principle that unless proven otherwise, whatever is beneficial is permissible,” it added.

The religious guidance on cultivated meat consumption was developed due to questions of permissibility for Muslims after the SFA approved the sale of GOOD Meat’s cultured chicken in 2020. Considering the global impetus to find alternative, sustainable food solutions and the emergence of novel food, it is necessary to establish a clear religious position from the outset in order to facilitate any future plans for the halal certification of cultivated meat,” said Muis.

The Fatwa Committee studied three inter-related aspects – the source of the meat, the production process, and the ingredients used – and outlined requirements stipulating that the cell lines should be from a species permissible to eat for Muslims, every ingredient making up the texture and composition of the cultivated meat should be halal, and the product must be clean and non-toxic. These guidelines largely align with those released by Shariah scholars in Saudi Arabia in September.

“Building a truly inclusive, efficient and secure protein production system requires making high-quality, nutrient-rich, and culturally relevant foods available to every facet of society,” said Mirte Gosker, managing director of GFI APAC. “With Muis’s precedent-setting announcement, Singapore is bringing that bold vision one step closer to reality.”

Halal consumers represent 25% of the world’s population, and the halal meat market is estimated to grow by 7% annually to reach $375B in 2031. Research has found that the most important consideration for Singaporeans around cultivated meat is that it must be halal before it is consumed, with some raising concerns about whether its production can be halal, especially if they’re located close to facilities making cultured pork or other prohibited meats.

The study further suggested that participants unanimously expressed trust in Muis to determine the halal status of cultivated meat, believing its opinion to be comprehensive. “They are doing the right thing as a Muslim authority and speaking on behalf of all Muslims in Singapore,” one respondent said.

Singapore to create halal certification for cultivated meat

Now, Muis plans to work with government bodies like the SFA and industry stakeholders to develop guidelines for halal certification of cultivated meat – a move that would be welcomed by the sector. A 44-company survey by GFI APAC last year revealed that complying with halal requirements was a priority for 87% of the businesses. But a lack of resources outlining how products can adhere to such religious certifications would prove to be a significant entry barrier, the study added.

Currently, no cultivated meat approved for sale on the market satisfies the council’s halal guidance yet, according to GFI APAC. While the timeline for the halal certification depends on the complexity of certifying the products, Muis explained that any locally produced halal-certified cultured meat would be available only for local sale and consumption – exports are only possible if other countries have approved the sale of these products (the US and Israel are the only others to have done so).

“Companies applying for Muis Halal Certification must have a facility producing cultivated meat products in Singapore,” the council added. “This is the same principle applied to conventional meat-producing facilities. The halal status of imported raw materials and processing aids from overseas which are used locally must be substantiated with the appropriate halal supporting documentation, depending on the risk category, and not the country of origin.”

The fatwa mentioned that the guidelines are intended to ensure that halal dietary rules are followed and maintained. But it added: “In all cases, Muslim consumers make their own informed choice whether to patronise any halal-certified eating establishment or consume any halal-certified food product.

“Similarly for cultivated meat, if it is halal-certified, Singapore Muslims can choose whether to consume or otherwise. Actual Muslim consumer acceptance of cultivated meat will also depend on other considerations like personal dietary preferences, taste, and cost.”

Gosker said: “More than a billion people around the world adhere to halal food standards, so for cultivated meat to make the leap from novelty to the norm, it is crucial that there are viable pathways to achieve this certification.”

Muis’ fatwa follows the aforementioned advice from three leading Shariah scholars in Saudi Arabia, which told GOOD Meat that cultured meat can be considered halal if it meets certain criteria. And in 2022, the Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America adjudged cultivated meat as provisionally permissible by default, provided Halal criteria are followed.

In terms of other religious guidance, Israel’s chief rabbi David Lau declared last January that local producer Aleph Farms’ non-FBS steak could be considered kosher and akin to eating a vegetable (parve). This wasn’t a kosher certification, however, and the company is now pursuing one for its facility from local rabbinate authorities.

The post Singapore’s Islamic Council Rules Cultivated Meat as Halal Under the Right Conditions appeared first on Green Queen.

Finnish company Solar Foods’ Solein protein is expanding its footprint in Singapore through a partnership with Helsinki-based food giant Fazer Group, which has crafted a limited-edition snack bar using the air protein.

Fazer has released Taste the Future, a chocolate snack bar powered by Solein, in Singapore – marking the air protein’s retail debut 16 months after receiving regulatory approval. The product is available at five The Cocoa Trees stores across the island.

Fazer – which posted €1.1B ($1.19B) in revenue in 2022 and is Solar Foods’ biggest shareholder – hosted a media tasting of the limited-edition bar on Thursday, ahead of a one-time public sampling opportunity on Saturday afternoon at The Cocoa Trees store at Raffles City Shopping Centre.

“Singapore is the perfect test ground for our Taste the Future Chocolate Snack Bar, with a highly innovative food ecosystem and people who are not only passionate about food, but curious to try new things that are new, with nutrition and sustainability benefits,” said Heli Anttila, VP of new product development at Fazer Confectionery.

An iron- and fibre-rich vegan snack bar

The vegan chocolate, hazelnut and berry snack bar contains Nordic oat puffs and 2% Solein powder, and was produced at Fazer Lab, the company’s R&D and innovation unit in Vantaa, Finland. Free from palm oil, the product is made from “100% responsibly sourced cocoa” and is high in fibre and iron.

While the flavourless Solein protein – made by fermenting microbes with carbon dioxide, hydrogen and oxygen replacing sugar as an energy source – had debuted as part of a vegan gelato at Singaporean eatery Fico in 2023, this is the first time it’s available as an FMCG product.

Fazer and Solar Foods have been working hand-in-hand on R&D and product development. With the latter’s commercial-scale Factory 01 set to be operational by the first half of this year, the limited run proves to be a good test for this nutritious consumer snack bar’s future market rollouts, once the protein is in full production. This is in line with Fazer’s own emissions reduction goals and target for 100% sustainable sourcing.

“This is an exciting moment for us working with Fazer – the very first time people can try Solein within a consumer snack bar,” said Solar Foods CEO Pasi Vainikka. “This also demonstrates the potential of Solein as a sustainable and nutritious fortifier. With this introduction in Singapore, we are getting valuable customer feedback on Solein’s viability in a new product category and also get a sense of the consumer acceptance of future ingredients.”

Solar Foods targets 2025-26 European launch

Solar Foods, which began in 2017 as a spinout of the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and LUT University, calls Solein the “world’s most sustainable protein”, with a production process that forgoes the need for open land, fertilisers and pesticides, and irrigation. It can be made in desert-like conditions, the Arctic, and even outer space (the startup has collaborated with the European Space Agency on a food project for Mars). The microbes are grown in liquid form and eventually turned into an orange-coloured dry powder.

According to a life-cycle analysis, Solein emits just 1% of greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional meat and 20% versus plant-based proteins. Plus, it has a strong nutritional profile, with 65-70% of protein, 5-8% of fat, 10-15% of dietary fibre and 3-5% of minerals, as well as a macronutrient profile similar to dried soy or algae. The microbial protein contains iron and B vitamins as well, essential nutrients that are often sourced from animal-derived ingredients.

After receiving clearance from Singapore’s food regulatory authority for the carbon-capturing protein, Vainikka compared its development to the discovery of the potato. “We are introducing an entirely new ingredient to the world of food,” he remarked. “It’s a watershed moment for how we think of what we eat.”

This potential has been realised by investors as well, with Solein nabbing €8M ($8.8M) in Series B funding in November to support the construction of Factory 01. It brought total investment in the startup to over €43M ($47M) in equity, with an additional €30M ($32M) in debt funding. The company also has a €34M ($37M) grant for Factory 01 and a further €76M ($83M) earmarked for Factory 02 “if we were to build on European soil”.

It’s something Vainikka hinted at after the release of the Fazer Taste the Future bar, with its novel foods regulation process in the EU expected to finish by the end of 2025. “Our shared aim extends beyond this pivotal moment, targeting a wider-scale European launch in 2025-26 with a whole range of products.” And it truly could be a range of products – the ingredient has already been demoed in over 20 different foods, including burgers, eggs and meatballs.

For now, though, a snack bar it is. The product will be available at five locations of The Cocoa Trees across the city-state, as part of a bundle offer until February 18 – customers can redeem one Taste the Future bar for every S$30 ($22) spent on Fazer products.

Solar Foods’ Solein isn’t the only air protein – Kiverdi’s Air Protein (US) and Arkeon Biotechnologies (Austria) are working on similar products, while companies like NovoNutrients, Calysta (both Californian) and Deep Branch Biotech (UK) are producing such ingredients for livestock and fish feed.

The post A Snack Bar Made From Air: Fazer Unveils Limited-Edition Chocolate Bar Using Solein appeared first on Green Queen.

Singapore is renowned for its position as an alternative protein leader – a new study reveals how members of the general public as well as scientific experts feel about cultured meat, and its effects on general health and society.

Soon, it will be three years since the Singapore Food Agency granted Eat Just’s Good Meat the world’s first regulatory approval for cultivated meat. It consolidated the island nation’s position as a flagbearer of food tech innovation and progressive policymaking.

It has led to an influx of startups across all the alternative protein pillars, with Singapore being home to the highest number of companies across biomass fermentation (39%), cultivated (33%) and plant-based (21%) startups in APAC. In fact, at least 25 non-local companies have a presence in the city-state for R&D and business development, with 24% of all APAC alt-protein startups based here.

This is according to industry think tank the Good Food Institute APAC’s State of the Industry report for 2023, which also highlighted how consumers in Singapore are the most sceptical of plant-based meat (alongside Malaysians). The country has the highest number of ‘rejectors’ as well, i.e. people who want to reduce their intake of meat alternatives.

In a similar vein is a recent study published in the Plos One journal, which looked at how the public as well as scientific experts view cultivated meat in Singapore. It relied upon focus group discussions attended by 29 members of the public and 11 experts from research institutes and academia, with each session lasting about two hours.

What the public thinks

Public members discussed two main health benefits of cultivated meat: functional foods and higher food safety, with the nature of the product meaning it could be engineered to be more nutritious and healthier than conventional meat. Produced in bioreactors, cell-cultured meat is also thought of as cleaner and carries a lower risk of transmitting zoonotic diseases. Additionally, the general public believed that cultivated meat could provide expanded options for meat-eaters, while potentially being more wallet-friendly as increased demand would mean lower prices for conventional meat.

In terms of societal benefits, food security was identified as a key benefit, especially given Singapore’s heavy reliance on imports – over 90% of its food supply comes from other countries. Cultured meat can help the country grow its own meat and become more self-sufficient, all the while diversifying its food sources, and mitigating supply chain vulnerabilities. It could help address food shortages and malnutrition too.

This, in turn, would bring benefits to the economy, with reduced meat imports, increased foreign direct investments and more jobs being mentioned as three key aspects. Plus, there’s the land use question: GFI analysis reveals that cultured meat grown via renewable energy needs 95% less land than conventional meat. As a land-scarce nation, public participants said cultured meat can alleviate this challenge, further noting wider environmental positives, alongside animal welfare benefits.

Despite the idea that cultivated meat could help avoid zoonotic diseases and be a cleaner food source, many expressed concerns about the long-term effects of these novel proteins on human health, with apprehensions stemming from the use of additives and preservatives, doubts over nutritional deficiencies, as well as a perceived naturalness. Others are unsure about the science, processing methods, and regulations governing its production. And for many consumers, price is a key barrier, calling it the primary factor influencing their purchasing decisions.

There were also worries about health effects at a societal level, with questions raised around the transparency and qualifications of cultured meat suppliers, as well as the overconsumption of these proteins, which was likened to high diet soda intake. Finally, resistance from religious communities was identified as a potential societal risk too, as certain racial and ethnic groups could find cultured meat adoption challenging. There is a need for relevant certification to enhance acceptance, as has been the case with cultured meat’s halal certification.

Mirte Gosker, managing director of the Good Food Institute APAC, compares this situation to the shift to electric vehicles (EVs). “For EVs, initial market hesitations surrounded vehicle costs, battery range, and concerns about a lack of available chargers, which consumers worried could affect how reliably they can get from place to place,” she explains. “Those are challenges that EV producers, researchers, and governments all took seriously and began investing in solutions to mitigate, which has helped alleviate consumer hesitation in many markets.”

She adds: “There will be a long learning curve as consumers weigh how cultivated meat could potentially fit into their lives with minimal disruption to their existing day-to-day practices.”

What scientific experts think

In terms of cultivated meat experts, there were two main upsides for personal health: individual health benefits and increased food options. There was talk about how cultured meat could be improved with certain bio-nutrients and mitigate risks traditionally associated with animal meat, such as pesticide exposure. The experts echoed the public’s point about an expansion of choices, providing consumers with a chance to “diversify our diet”.

When it comes to societal benefits, the predominant topic of discussion was food security, with experts viewing it as a significant advantage of cell-based meat. These proteins can offer stability during supply chain disruptions and ensure the continuity of food production, becoming “a valuable benefit for society”.

However, the experts did raise concerns about personal health risks, with some feeling the tech is still immature and more long-term research is necessary. Gosker explains that it is “a professional requirement for scientific experts to have questions, especially for a new technology like cultivated meat”. She points to the safety assessments made by the FDA in the US, the FSA in Singapore and the FSANZ in Oceania, as well as a 2023 UN FAO report that concluded: “The food safety risks of [cultivated] meat are similar to those of conventional meat, and they can be contained through proper handling and testing as with conventional meat.”

“In the study, the open questions outlined by scientific experts – which were outnumbered by the potential benefits they noted for food safety and security – mostly pertain to market acceptance and driving down the costs of cultivated meat production through investment and innovation,” she tells Green Queen. “These are anticipated growing pains and challenges that GFI’s global teams are proactively working to resolve through technical guidance and open-access R&D funding, but there is also a clear need for governments around the world to play a much larger role.”

There were affordability considerations at play as well, as cultured meat products are much more expensive than their conventional counterparts, which is a major barrier to widespread adoption and acceptance. Investment risks were brought up as well by the experts in focus groups, calling the industry “challenging” and a “commercial liability”, and noting that most vegetarians would not be inclined to eat cell-cultured meat.

Speaking to this, Gosker explains: “Just as the clean energy transition requires and deserves public investment, so does our transition to alternative proteins. For perspective, the cultivated meat sector has received – over the course of its entire history as an industry – less than $3B in global investment, 98% of which have been equity investments across more than 100 companies. That is less than the cost of one single EV battery plant. This illustrates just how early in the scale-up and cost-reduction processes the industry is at this stage and how much more room it still has for growth.”

Differences, similarities and misconceptions

Both the public and experts displayed similarities as well as differences in their perception of these novel foods. For example, both sets of focus group participants agreed that cultured meat presents personal health benefits, expands food options, and ensures food security. Similarly, they expressed concern about long-term health risks and affordability.

But the general public held a much broader view of societal risks and benefits compared to the experts, who did so for personal health risks. For instance, when it came to the societal aspects, the general public mentioned benefits for land use, animal welfare, and the Singapore economy, as well as risks around public health and potential resistance from certain racial and religious communities – ideas not mentioned by the experts, highlighting the key considerations of consumers.

It’s a topic GFI APAC’s industry-wide surveys have highlighted, given that huge swathes of Asia’s population adhere to such religious standards. “It is essential for religious bodies and third-party certification agencies to work closely with regulators and industry stakeholders to determine how cultivated meat and seafood producers can best align with their requirements,” says Gosker.

The study also exposed some misconceptions surrounding cultivated meat. Some members of the public associated these proteins with plant-based meat. And while they thought of cultured meat as environmentally beneficial, experts were more sceptical due to a lack of sufficient scientific evidence. “Open-access research publications provide increased transparency about the cultivated meat production process, which could be beneficial in clarifying for consumers how novel foods get to their plate,” says Gosker.

“Public information campaigns by trusted government agencies and experts can be very effective in dispelling misinformation and educating consumers about the many health benefits of cultivated meat,” she adds.

Key questions lie for cultured meat in Singapore

“In previous consumer perception studies, many Asian consumers have expressed a strong desire to try products that they perceive to be innovative or deliver added values not previously available to them,” says Gosker. “This could give a boost to brands that use novel ingredients and formulations, such as hybrid products that combine ingredients from plants, microbes and cultivated animal cells to create flavourful and nutrient-dense products and ingredients.

“Such products will have a much easier time achieving price parity in the short term, while scientists continue to refine techniques for cost efficiency on fully cultivated products. Not surprisingly, Singapore has proven to be an early global leader in advancing the hybrid protein space.”

So, where does that all leave us? Gosker says the study is a useful blueprint for how similar research can be conducted in other APAC countries. She also mentions the importance of tackling food neophobia, and how producers and governments can increase consumer confidence in cultivated meat. Many of these steps were highlighted in a landmark report by the UNEP published during this year’s COP28.

Ultimately, she notes, the question is: “Can cultivated meat deliver all of the flavour, value, and nutrition that consumers currently get from conventional meat? If it can, and the products come with clearly communicated benefits like a complete absence of microplastics and reduced risk of transmitting zoonotic disease, many consumers will see the value in making the switch.”

The post How Do Singapore’s Consumers & Experts Feel About Cultivated Meat? appeared first on Green Queen.

Singaporean cultivated meat company Meatiply has closed the first round of its seed funding, securing $3.75M in financing to scale up production of its hybrid products and facilitate its new R&D facility, set to open next year.

A second close is scheduled for Q1 2024, with the producer developing natural compounds to target the functional foods market.

Singapore-based cultured meat producer Meatiply has closed an initial seed funding round with $3.75M in investment, which will help it scale up production and facilitate the opening of its new plant next year. It brings its total raised to $4.75M, after a $1M pre-seed round in early 2022.

The round was co-led by co-led by existing investor Wavemaker Partners and AgFunder, with participation from Seeds Capital, the VC arm of Enterprise Singapore.

“While the challenge of meeting product launch deadlines persists for many companies, the Meatiply team has demonstrated the ability to achieve meaningful results within shorter timeframes and with considerably less funding,” said Paul Santos, managing partner at Wavemaker Partners. “Their achievements in developing hybrid structured poultry prototypes have particularly impressed us.”

He added: “We have confidence in the diverse backgrounds and technical skills of Meatiply’s founders, coupled with their unique technology, which positions them on a viable path to commercial success.”

A new facility in the works

The new funds will allow Meatiply to ramp up its R&D capabilities and production for more extensive co-development with commercial partners. A new facility will become operational next year, two years ahead of its targeted 2026 launch. Speaking to Green Queen, Meatiply CEO Elwin Tan explained: “We are building a dedicated R&D facility with small-scale production capabilities to generate more cell mass to support safety testing and product development.”

He did not disclose exact capacity numbers, but offered: “The new facility will allow us to expand the effort on bioprocess development, from the current scale in small, lab-scale suspension cultures, to eventually arrive [at] large bench-top bioreactors.”

The company was founded in 2021 by Tan, Jason Chua, Benjamin Chua (the three studied stem cell biology at the National University of Singapore), and Teh Bin Tean. In October 2022, Meatiply unveiled three structured meat prototypes – kampong chicken yakitori, chicken katsu bites, and Asia’s first smoked duck breast – in a combination of cell- and plant-based ingredients.

Tan confirmed that the first products won’t be any of these prototypes. “We aimed to showcase the level of complexity and comprehensiveness that our team can deliver, and aims to deliver these products in the long term,” he said. “Until then, we have strategically devised a product development roadmap that will allow us to rapidly commercialise new product formats, without running into the same challenges that companies before us have faced. The team is hard at work refining these new prototypes and we plan to unveil them next year.”

Cultivated meat as functional food

These prototypes – made from multiple cell types including muscle, fat and skin – were structured, rather than minced, which enables them to be used in a broader range of products. Meatiply’s “scientifically grounded” approach allows it to generate natural compounds responsible for the sensory and nutritional quality of meat, and targeting these health benefits means the company can focus its energy on the $280B functional foods market.

Jason Chua, the chief scientific officer, said: “Besides meat, we are also positioned for opportunities to commercialise in the nutraceutical and wellness market.” Tan added: “Meatiply’s strong upstream capabilities to create complex and functional products… not only justifies the use of animal cells, but also results in significant cost reductions.”

Speaking to Green Queen, the CEO explained: “Our radical development strategy and selected product formats will allow us to significantly reduce capex and input costs. With this same strategy, we can reasonably target commercialisation faster than any other company has been able to achieve.”

“We’re highly impressed by what the Meatiply team has achieved in a short amount of time and with relatively limited external funding,” noted John Friedman, AgFunder’s Asia director. “We firmly believe there is a place for cultivated meat technology in our future food system, and are encouraged by Meatiply’s practical approach towards product development and go-to-market strategy.”

“Meatiply has distinguished itself through strong technical competencies which have allowed it to develop a wide repertoire of structured meat and meat derivatives focusing on the Asian palette. Despite being a young company, it was able to showcase three structured meat prototypes, including Asia’s first cultivated smoked duck breast, within 18 months. With a global market poised to embrace sustainable protein alternatives, we look forward to supporting Meatiply as it leverages Singapore’s position as a strategic AgriFood innovation hub for the region to scale and grow,” added Kaixin Tan, General Manager of SEEDS Capital.

Regulatory filing in 2025, with launch planned the year after

The Meatiply team attributes its success to its team of experts as well as the thriving food tech ecosystem in Singapore. “We are incredibly fortunate to be based in Singapore, where the numerous research and development grants, coupled with the presence of brilliant and purpose-driven individuals within the scientific and start-up ecosystems, have enabled us to establish a strong second-mover trajectory,” said Bin Tean.

The company has previously said establishing its base in Singapore was “an easy decision” for multiple reasons. Apart from the innovation support, this included the country’s 30 by 30 food security initiative, which aims to reduce the island state’s reliance on imports by producing 30% of all food consumed by its residents by 2030, as well as its progressive government and regulatory framework. It became the first country in the world to approve the sale of cell-cultured meat in 2020, granting clearance to California-based Eat Just‘s Good Meat.

Meatiply, which is aiming to submit an application to Singapore’s regulatory body by the end of 2025, says it is a “frontrunner” in product development in this space, with innovations across the cultivated meat value chain, helping it develop functional hybrid meat products. Tan confirmed that the company is aiming to launch in Singapore first, but is “keeping an eye on the regulatory developments in South Korea, Japan, and China for the potential to subsequently enter those markets”.

“Meatiply believes in maximising the potential of each cell type,” said Jason Chua. “Our focus on the production of complex value-added compounds using cells will allow us to create cultivated meat products with added health benefits. This strategic entry point will give consumers more reasons to embrace cultivated technologies.”

Tan added: “We are focusing on nutritive compounds that are abundant in animals but are either absent or in lower concentrations in plant products. This will not only mean that the products we co-develop will have a clear nutritional edge over plant-based, but at the same time, we’ll also be the best choice for a source of cultivated cells if a plant-based partner is looking to develop a hybrid product,” he said.

Can hybrid meat go the distance?

Hybrid meat is still a nascent category, and investors are divided over its potential. Some, though, argue that it’s the best way for cultivated meat to overcome its current cost and scale challenges. Companies like SciFi Foods – which has raised $40M so far – are examples of initial success. China’s CellX recently announced a move into hybrid proteins with mycelium fermentation and Dutch company Meatable’s first product – anticipated to launch in Singapore next year – is a plant-cultivated pork hybrid.

“During the development of the prototypes we unveiled last year, we explored a number of plant-based raw materials and built the prototypes from scratch, instead of assimilating our cells with an existing plant-based product,” explained Tan. “In doing so, we developed over 10 prototypes with different combinations of plant protein sources. In other words, our development team has the necessary knowledge and expertise to work with a variety of plant proteins. The eventual types of plant proteins we incorporate into our products will depend on the needs and demands of our co-development partners.”

A second close of Meatiply’s seed funding round is set to take place in Q1 2024. “Despite a more cautious investment approach this year, investors were excited by our development strategy,” said Tan. “Likewise, we are thrilled that our investors share our vision.”

It has indeed been a slow year for alt-protein and food tech funding – especially compared to the last few years. Cultivated meat has seen investment fall off a cliff – according to alt-protein think tank the Good Food Institute, the sector reeled in nearly $900M in funding in 2022 (versus $1.2B for plant-based and $842M for fermented proteins). But this year, the first half of 2023 saw only $99M of financing go to cultivated meat (compared to $124M for plant-based and $273M for fermentation).

But there have been a few success stories. Meatable raised $35M, while US producer BlueNalu brought in $33.5M. Israel’s Wanda Fish closed $7M in seed funding, while CellX and Jimi Biotech (both Chinese) reeled in $6.5M and $3M, respectively. And just this week, Chicago-based Clever Carnivore completed a $7M oversubscribed seed round. You can add Meatiply to this list.

The post Meatiply Rakes in $3.75M in Initial Seed Funding for Expansion and New Facility in 2024 appeared first on Green Queen.

A new report by marketing activism group Clean Creatives explores how Asia’s fossil fuel industry is failing communities in the region, using greenwashing techniques to shift the blame from its climate impacts. These include loyalty credit cards, lotteries, prize draws, social media campaigns, and PR initiatives.

Clean Creatives, a global initiative to end the communication, marketing and PR sector’s links with the fossil fuel industry, has published its Asia F-List. It documents the companies that choose to keep working with fossil fuel firms despite the glaring evidence of their impact on ecological destruction.

In 2021, for instance, fossil fuel companies were responsible for 90% of all carbon emissions globally. The impact of climate change is obviously being felt everywhere, but the Global South is much more adversely affected, with the Global North being responsible for a higher amount of fossil fuel emissions. In Asia, Singapore is heating up two times faster than the rest of the world, cities are facing alarmingly rising sea levels, and pollution contributes to nearly 2.4 million deaths in India and 2.2 million in China each year.

However, Asia is the fastest-growing region for fossil fuel production and consumption, and its contribution to the planet’s GHG emissions has doubled from 22% in 1990 to 44% in 2019 – faster than the global average.

The Asia F-List covers Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. China was excluded due to “the unique corporate ownership structures and state of media transparency” making it difficult to evaluate the role of fossil fuels there.

It found that British agency WPP has the most contracts with fossil fuel firms than any other holding company (22), followed by New York-headquartered IPG (9). In terms of independent agencies, Indonesia’s Kiroyan Partners has the most contracts at nine.

Indonesia is also the country with the highest number of fossil fuel contracts, with 15. It’s followed by India (11), Thailand (9), Japan (8), Singapore (6), Philippines (6), Malaysia (5), Korea (4), Vietnam (2) and Hong Kong (2).

The report divided campaigns by major polluters into two categories: incentives to buy more, and ‘purpose-washing’.

Credit cards and giveaways to incentivise buying more fuel

Oil and gas companies in Asia use various techniques to reward customer loyalty. In India, for example, “almost every major fuel provider has multiple credit card schemes with different banks, vehicle manufacturers and non-banking financial companies”. When customers spend on fuel, they earn reward points that can be used on future fuel and other purchases – and many sign up for these cards based on their existing relationship with banks.

These cards exist in multiple countries, including Thailand, the Philippines and Japan. In the latter, Cosmo Oil’s Eco Card claims to “convert brand loyalty to environmental action” by donating 0.1% of your fuel or car wash bill, plus ¥500 ($3.64), every year to an environmental conservation fund. “Promoting these cards as a sustainable solution could just be more greenwashing,” the report states.

In addition, some companies use prize campaigns and TV events to incentivise loyalty, “an easy PR tactic for oil and gas companies to improve their reputation and distract from other issues”. In Thailand, for example, Shell organised a 130th Anniversary Mega Lucky Draw through which consumers could win a Porsche car, BMW motorbikes, gold bars, gold necklaces and fuel gift cards – provided they make a purchase at a Shell station.

In Myanmar, to celebrate its 10th anniversary, Denzo’s Lucky Draw programme hosted a giveaway of BMW and Nissan cards, which was broadcast as a celebrity-hosted live TV event with an awards ceremony. To enter the competition, customers needed to spend money on fuel, with one entry for every 10,000 Kyat ($5) spent.

And in the Philippines, Caltex (the APAC brand name for Chevron) organised a Liter Lottery campaign, offering people a free tank of gas if the last digit of the metre matched the last digit of their car’s license plate, leading to a 233% increase in full tank purchases and 198% sales rise. Another fuel company, Seaoil, launched a nationwide campaign – now in its sixth year – where one could win a free lifetime supply of gas.

Purpose-washing customers to distract from fossil fuels’ climate damage

Fossil fuel companies use marketing and PR campaigns to lead people into believing they’re doing good for the planet and society, which encourages customers to feel personally responsible for the climate crisis and take individual action to clean up the sector’s mess.

In South Korea, GS Caltex and ad agency Ideot created an English-language workbook to promote consumer-focused solutions in line with the company’s ‘green supply chain’. They replaced normal text with case studies to show how people can help the environment, distributing the workbook in bookstores and study cafés.

India’s Adani Group released a #ICan campaign in 2021 to urge people to lower their climate impact by asking questions like “Can you lower your carbon footprint?” and “Can you be a partner in fighting global warming?”, deflecting from answering those questions itself. “This type of greenwashing is so insidious and deceptive that it’s even won Adani multiple awards,” states the report.

In Japan, ENEOS launched a broadcast radio show called For Our Earth: One By One to spread awareness about decarbonisation and recycling. Tapping actress Akane Hotta as the host, it sees celebrities learn how we can meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Clean Creatives writes: “This seems to be an example of virtue signalling — indicating ENEOS’ values without considering whether the company is behaving in service of them.”

Indonesia’s Pertamina, meanwhile, runs an Eco RunFest every year, claiming that ticket purchases go towards an initiative helping rural areas use clean energy and improve welfare. But to enter, people need to make a fuel purchase. The company claims that by buying “higher-quality and environmentally friendly fuel”, people can use reward points to get a voucher code and register for the event.

“Their claim that fossil fuels are environmentally friendly is greenwash, but the requirement for people to purchase fuel before participating in an event billed to be “Healthy for Earth” is misleading marketing at its finest,” the report says.

Moreover, some companies organise purpose-washing field trips to show they’re going to local villages and giving back to the less fortunate. In 2018, Shell, Chevron and the international NGO Pact in Myanmar set up the Ahlin Yaung campaign to fund renewable energy and solar projects in 70 villages without electricity, despite Shell being expected to spend $1.2B in offshore exploration and making a profit of $20.7M before tax in 2021 (which is when it ceased operations in the country).

Similarly, PTT and marketing agency CJ Worx planted mangroves in three Thai provinces to restore ecosystems damaged by climate change, “which is ironic since fossil fuel projects would have contributed to that situation”.

Greenwashing the TikTok generation

Fossil fuel corporations are also using social media to go viral among younger populations. In March last year, Caltex and ad firm VMLY&R announced the #CaltexUnstoppableStar rap challenge, featuring rappers from multiple Asian countries. It released a rap song and encouraged people to sing along and create their own videos using AR filters to win prizes like Caltex’s Starcash reward points, a fuel system cleaner and an iPad. Caltex says the campaign received 650 million views within the first 10 days.

In the Philippines, Flying V released two social media challenges. The first, Mr. and Mrs. Flying V, was a TikTok dance challenge inviting people to share videos of them dancing at the gas station, while the Lipad Jump Shot photo challenge asked consumers to share images of them jumping next to a station. But to participate, they had to make a fuel purchase of over PHP 100 ($1.79), with one entry per purchase, encouraging people to spend more to up their chance of winning a PHP 10,000 ($179) cash prize.

The report makes for grim reading, but despite that, its authors believe change is imminent. It cites two agencies that have signed its Clean Creatives pledge, Vero and On Purpose, which joined forces to build a sustainability-focused business pipeline between India and Southeast Asia.

The authors conclude: “We believe we’re at the beginning of a significant cultural shift in the industry and world. People and companies across Asia are advocating for better sustainability regulations, disclosures and education and new alliances are making sustainability a requirement in the marketing and communications industry.”

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