A cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable form of meat has been approved for commercial use in Singapore. This Saturday will mark the first time cell-grown meat will be in the commercial market, with Eat Just’s GOOD Meat Cultured Chicken passing extensive review by the Singapore Food Agency.

A shift toward sustainability

Josh Tetrick, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Eat Just, describes this innovation as a drastic shift away from plant- and livestock-based food production, with the aim of improving sustainability in the food industry. It ”moves us closer to a world where the majority of meat we eat will not require tearing down a single forest, displacing a single animal’s habitat or using a single drop of antibiotics,” he says.

Eat Just, Inc. is a San Francisco-based company that uses cutting-edge technology to create plant-based and cell-grown food. The company specializing in creating sustainable and more healthy meat alternatives has come a long way since it was founded in 2011. It started by releasing an egg substitute made with mung bean that they branded at Just Egg. Aside from egg, the company also sells a mayonnaise alternative called Just Mayo.

Since then, Eat Just has partnered up with Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-Shing through Horizon Ventures and Singapore’s Temasek Holdings. With its chicken alternative approved, Eat Just is now using a thousand liters of bioreactors that will produce kilos of chicken. Within the next five years, the company is targeting to ramp up production to 100,000 liters.

Food and social causes

GOOD Meat Cultured Chicken will debut in Singapore’s 1880 this weekend, on December 19, 2020. 1880 was founded three years ago and is located in InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay. The private club is famous for creating innovative dishes and hosting events to promote social causes.

The menu will consist of four courses that have been influenced by countries that lead in producing chicken: United States, China, and Brazil.

According to a menu provided by Eat Just, 1880 will be serving crispy sesame chicken bun with spring onion, and pickled cucumber, crispy cultured chicken with maple waffle, spices and hot sauce, and a phyllo puff pastry with black bean puree, garlic, and lime will all be available. The first diners who will be able to experience all of this will be a group of teenagers from 14 to 18 who have been advocates of the cause of Eat Just and aim towards changing eating habits toward a better and healthier planet.

Next steps for Eat Just

It has taken a lot for Eat Just to finally be approved by any food regulatory committee, but having passed the SFA, GOOD Meat Cultured Chicken is starting to look a lot more promising. Tetrick hopes that finally having this out in the market will spur other countries to follow in Singapore’s footsteps.

Eat Just looks to target a diverse audience with its cultured meat offerings. Tetrick says, “It satisfies people who are trying to eat [no meat] because they don’t want to take a life. It satisfies people who don’t want to contribute to exacerbating climate change. And it satisfies people who just like good old tasty fried chicken and don’t care about any of that stuff. That’s how we think we’re going to really change the food system.”

Eat Just is currently valued at US$1.2 billion and aims to start earning an operating profit by 2021. Tetrick has also expressed that the company plans to go public as soon as other countries approve the sale and consumption of its products.