Eat Just gets regulatory nod to sell lab-grown chicken meat in Singapore

Plant-based food startup Eat Just announced that its cultured or lab-grown chicken has been approved for sale in Singapore as an ingredient in chicken bites, following a rigorous consultation and review process.

Photo credit: Business Wire

The company claims that the “first-in-the-world” regulatory approval of its meat alternative paves the way for the small-scale commercial launch of its Good Meat brand in Singapore. It plans to reveal more details about the new venture at a later date, according to a statement.

Founded in 2011, Eat Just is the US-based company behind egg alternative Just Egg, which is made with turmeric and mung bean protein. Over the course of many months, Eat Just’s team has developed and prepared extensive documentation on the characterization of its new cultured chicken product and the process of making it.

The company said that its new product meets quality validations and was confirmed to be safe and nutritious for human consumption.

“Singapore has long been a leader in innovation of all kinds,” said Eat Just CEO and co-founder Josh Tetrick. “Working in partnership with the broader agriculture sector and forward-thinking policymakers, companies like ours can help meet the increased demand for animal protein as our population climbs to 9.7 billion by 2050.”

In conjunction with the approval, Eat Just shared that it has formed strategic partnerships with local manufacturers in Singapore to produce cultured chicken cells and formulate the finished product ahead of its debut.

The company also said it has developed other cultured chicken-based products that will be an extension to its chicken bites.

The development comes after Eat Just announced its partnership with a consortium led by Proterra Investment Partners Asia in October. Under the tie-up, Eat Just will pour up to US$20 million while the consortium will invest up to US$100 million in the development of a plant-based protein production facility in Singapore.

In the city-state, Eat Just operates in the same space as Shiok Meats, which recently unveiled its cell-based lobster meat that it aims to commercialize by 2022.