For a nation that imports over 90 percent of its food, the future of our food system isn’t an abstract debate—it’s a matter of national security. Singapore’s reliance on global supply chains makes it uniquely vulnerable to disruptions, from climate change to cross-border challenges. Yet in conversations about food resilience, we are often presented with a choice between traditional agriculture and alternative proteins. This all-or-nothing mindset risks overlooking perhaps the most pragmatic and immediately scalable solution: hybrid products.
Hybrid foods combine traditional ingredients with alternative ones. New ingredients are unlocking genuine innovation pathways that could transform our food system while addressing the very real challenges of climate change, resource scarcity, and growing global demand.
The quiet revolution already underway
This isn’t about reinventing the wheel. Hybrid foods have always been a practical part of our food system. Traditional sausages, for example, demonstrate the long-standing practice of combining meat with other ingredients to create products that are both appealing and efficient in terms of cost and resources. Our current advancements in food technology and natural fats simply allow us to refine these time-tested combinations, delivering even better results in taste, nutrition, and sustainability.
The hybrid food sector is experiencing strong growth, with products like hybrid meats, milk, and cheese already appearing on shelves at Fairprice and Cold Storage. Singaporean consumers have shown a growing familiarity and openness towards products that blend traditional ingredients with alternative ones, making the transition to more innovative hybrid foods a natural next step.
Think about a bucket of milk and the numerous products it eventually becomes. Sensible hybrid approaches leave most of these pathways intact while adding new, alternative ingredients at critical bottlenecks in the formulation process. This allows the same bucket of milk to satisfy the dairy taste and experience demands of more people, without sacrificing quality. Of course, that last part is not trivial, and this is why we have had to wait for technology to develop before we could address some product categories.
The use of hybrid approaches to upgrade meat quality and make animal supply go further should not be overlooked, but the dairy sector stands as the most promising frontier for hybrid innovation. Demand is rising with the Singapore plant-based food and beverage market set to grow significantly with a projected compound annual growth rate of 6.97 percent from 2024 to 2029. We are already seeing consumers embrace products that blend traditional dairy with plant-based ingredients – a transition made easier because many consumers are already familiar with plant-based dairy alternatives.
As Singapore pursues its ambitious ‘30 by 30’ vision, hybrid dairy products offer a powerful tool to strengthen national food security. Global dairy demand continues to rise at 2.5 percent annually, yet traditional production capacity struggles to keep pace sustainably, a challenge industry experts have termed “peak milk.” By extending our existing milk supply without increasing animal production intensity, hybrid dairy helps diversify our food sources and enhance resilience within our heavily import-reliant system.
At Nourish Ingredients, we’ve witnessed firsthand how our specialized fermented fats can enhance both traditional dairy and plant proteins, creating products that deliver the sensory experience consumers expect while reducing environmental impact. Our partners report that hybrid dairy products using our ingredients bring an authentic animal-like sensory experience to their products, which has been lacking, as well as allowing them to displace artificial flavours and ingredients for a cleaner label.
A great example of this in action is our collaboration with dairy leader Fonterra, with a focus on Creamilux – our animal-free lipid that delivers the rich taste, mouthfeel, and emulsification of traditional dairy. By combining our fermentation expertise with Fonterra’s deep dairy knowledge, we’re unlocking functionality across categories like cheese, butter, and even bakery, showing how hybrid innovation can enhance both dairy and non-dairy products without compromising on quality.
Beyond binary thinking
The polarisation that sometimes characterizes discussions about our food future serves nobody well. At Nourish Ingredients, we don’t see ourselves competing with traditional agriculture but rather developing complementary solutions that enhance the entire food ecosystem.
This co-design philosophy has resonated strongly with our partners, who recognize that hybrid products offer immediate volume potential while providing financial bottom-line benefits. For investors concerned about the recent slowdown in the plant protein market, hybrid products offer a way to de-risk investments while still moving toward more sustainable food systems.
The future of food isn’t about choosing between tradition and innovation – it’s about thoughtfully integrating the best of both worlds. Hybrid products offer us a bridge to that future, allowing incremental, pragmatic progress rather than waiting for perfect solutions.
By embracing hybrid approaches today, we can make immediate sustainability gains while continuing to develop the technologies that may one day enable fully alternative options at scale. This isn’t a compromise, it’s strategic progress.
As we face the enormous challenge of feeding nearly 10 billion people by 2050 in a climate-challenged world, we need every tool at our disposal. Hybrid foods aren’t just a stepping stone; they’re a crucial component of a diverse, resilient, and sustainable food system that can meet tomorrow’s needs while respecting traditional food cultures and consumer preferences.
Singapore’s strategic position in the region’s food innovation landscape makes it uniquely positioned to lead hybrid food adoption across Southeast Asia. With over 90 percent of our food supply being imported, hybrid solutions offer a practical path to enhance food security without compromising on quality or taste. Backed by strong government support and regulation through initiatives like the novel food approvals framework, the nation serves as a gateway for hybrid food solutions that address both local food security challenges and regional market opportunities.
Through partnerships with our established research institutions and the growing alternative protein ecosystem, we can build a more sustainable and abundant future, one delicious and healthy hybrid product at a time.
Dr. James Petrie, Co-Founder & CEO of Nourish Ingredients, is a world-class scientist with decades of experience in precision fermentation. Since 2019 James has been using his expertise to revolutionize the plant proteins space. Through breakthrough science and a focus on the most potent fats found in nature, Nourish is making plant proteins delicious without the animal. Their fats are set to make a transformative impact and are key to creating a smarter, more sustainable, more diverse food system.
Prior to founding Nourish, James spent 14 years at CSIRO, Australia’s premier research institute. James was a part of the team who spearheaded the creation of omega3 canola, the world’s first plant-based and sustainable source of omega 3.
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