The alternative meat industry has been booming globally for the past decade, but Asia has long resisted the trend, instead viewing meat as healthy, medicinal, and even sacred – there was simply no demand. 

It was only in 2019 that Asia saw funding and startups explode in the space. Consumers started to get on board the alternative-meat train and Singapore became the first country to green light the sale of lab-grown meat. 

So what’s behind the boom of alternative meats in Asia? Why here, why now? And, most importantly, will the region be able to solve the industry’s long-standing pain points of price and taste to sustain its growth? 

In this episode of Tech in Asia Explains, Eugene Wang, co-founder of Sophie’s BioNutrients, Michal Klar, founding partner of Better Bite Ventures; Josh Tetrick, CEO of Eat Just; Mihir Pershad, CEO at Umami Meats; and Nikita Puri, journalist at Tech in Asia share their perspectives on Asia’s newfound appetite for alternative meat.