在获得新加坡食品管理局(SFA)的监管批准后，Eat Just将开始在新加坡提供实验室培育的鸡肉。通过与当地制造商合作，这种细胞培养的鸡肉最终将在Eat Just的新好肉品牌下生产出来，并在消费者面前出售给餐馆。虽然还有很多其他公司也在使用各种技术研究实验室培育的肉类，但Eat只是将新加坡政府的审查和监管批准称为“世界第一”。该公司的全球通信主管安德鲁·诺伊斯(Andrew Noyes)告诉TechCrunch，没有鸡被宰杀以获得用于生产Eat Just的培养肉的细胞系。相反，这个过程从细胞分离开始，通过包括动物活组织检查在内的方法获取细胞。在细胞培养完成后，它们被转移到一个生物反应器中，用专有的蛋白质、氨基酸、矿物质、糖、盐和其他营养素的混合物喂养，当它们达到足够的密度后，就可以收获了。该公司说，它在1200升的生物反应器中进行了20次细胞培养鸡的生产，以证明其制造过程的一致性。Eat Just还表示，该公司没有使用抗生素，而且其培养的鸡肉“微生物含量极低，比传统鸡肉干净得多”。诺伊斯说，该公司已经在与一家餐厅合作，将其优质鸡肉加入菜单，并希望很快宣布推出日期。
在Eat Just今天的声明中，首席执行官乔希·泰特里克说:“新加坡长期以来一直是各种创新的领导者，从信息技术到生物制品，现在在建立更健康、更安全的食品体系方面处于世界领先地位。”
政府目前正在参与一项名为“30到30”的倡议，目标是到2030年在当地生产该国30%的食品供应。新加坡粮食署(SFA)率先采取这一行动，是因为新加坡目前90%以上的粮食采用进口，这使它容易受到出口禁令或COVID-19大流行影响所突显的物流问题的影响。作为“30对30”计划的一部分，国家林业局和科学技术与研究局已经提供了1.44亿SGD的研究资金。
Eat Just上个月宣布，它正在与Proterra Investment Partners Asia合作，成立一家新的亚洲子公司。该公司的其他产品包括一种植物性鸡蛋替代品。该合作伙伴包括一家新加坡工厂，该工厂得到了政府经济发展局的支持。
有几个因素推动了亚洲市场对人工养殖肉类和植物蛋白的需求。首先是对屠宰场肉类安全的担忧，这种担忧在COVID-19大流行期间加剧。该流行病还突出了生产和供应链中的脆弱性，这些脆弱性可以通过实验室生产的肉类和肉类替代品加以避免。
Eat Just will start offering lab-grown chicken meat in Singapore after gaining regulatory approval from the Singapore Food Agency (SFA). The cell-cultured chicken will eventually be produced under Eat Just’s new GOOD Meat brand through partnerships with local manufacturers and go on sale to restaurants before it is available to consumers.
While there are plenty of other companies working on lab-grown meats using various techniques, Eat Just describes the Singapore government’s review and regulatory approval as a “world first.”
No chickens were killed to obtain the cell line used to produce Eat Just’s cultured meat, global head of communications Andrew Noyes told TechCrunch. Instead, the process starts with cell isolation, where cells are sourced through methods that can include a biopsy from a live animal. After the cells are cultured, they are transferred into a bioreactor, fed with a proprietary mix of proteins, amino acids, minerals, sugars, salts and other nutrients and then harvested after they achieve enough density.
The company said it went through 20 productions runs of cell-cultured chicken in 1,200-liter bioreactors to prove the consistency of its manufacturing process. Eat Just also said no antibiotics were used and that its cultured chicken has an “extremely low and significantly cleaner microbiological content than conventional chicken.”
Noyes said the company is already working with a restaurant to add its GOOD Meat chicken to their menu, and hopes to announce a launch date soon.
In Eat Just’s announcement today, chief executive officer Josh Tetrick said, “Singapore has long been a leader in innovation of all kinds, from information technology to biologics to now leading the world in building a healthier, safer food system.”
The government is currently engaged in an initiative, called “30 by 30,” to produce 30% of the country’s food supply locally by 2030. Spearheaded by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), the initiative was prompted because Singapore currently imports over 90% of its food, which makes it vulnerable to export bans or the logistics issues highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact. As part of “30 by 30,” the SFA and Agency for Science, Technology and Research has made $144 million SGD in research funding available.
Eat Just, whose other products include a plant-based egg substitute, announced last month it is partnering with Proterra Investment Partners Asia to launch a new Asian subsidiary. The partnership includes a factory in Singapore that received support from the government’s Economic Development board.
There are several factors driving demand for cultured meat and plant-based protein in Asian markets. The first is concerns about the safety of meat from slaughterhouses that gained momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic also highlighted vulnerabilities in the production and supply chain that can be potentially be avoided with lab-produced meat and meat alternatives.
