World first: Singapore gives GOOD Meat approval to to commercialise serum-free media for cultivated meat
The firm says this technical and regulatory milestone will lead to production efficiencies through greater scalability, lower manufacturing costs and a more sustainable product.
It also paves the way for the production of larger quantities cultivated chicken made from cells instead of slaughtered animals.
GOOD Meat obtained approval from SFA for its first chicken product in November 2020 and a subsequent approval for new formats in November 2021.
With the latest regulatory approval for serum-free cultivation media, the US based foodtech firm says it will soon transition to a more efficient and favourable production process.
“Not too long ago, observers thought removing serum was a major limiting step to scaling cultivated meat. I could not be prouder of our team for doing just that and receiving approval to commercialize it this week. It's yet another step forward for our company, the cultivated meat industry and the health of our planet,” said Josh Tetrick, co-founder and CEO of parent company Eat Just.
Since launching its first product in Singapore, the company’s chicken has been featured on menus at fine dining establishments, hawker stalls and via food delivery across the City State. It is also sold at Huber’s Butchery, one of Singapore’s premier producers and suppliers of high-quality meat products.
Today’s regulatory news comes as bioreactors are being installed as part of the construction process of GOOD Meat’s Singapore production centre that will have the capacity to make tens of thousands of pounds of meat.
The facility will house the single-largest bioreactor in the cultivated meat industry to date: a 6,000-liter vessel built in partnership with bioreactor technology firm ABEC, Inc. The demonstration plant is slated to open in 2023 and will be running the serum-free production process.
“We congratulate GOOD Meat on achieving this milestone in scaling up cultivated meat production. This complements the company’s work in Singapore to build and operate its bioreactor facility where over 50 research scientists and engineers will develop innovative capabilities in the cultivated meat space such as media optimisation, process development, and texturization of cultivated meat products,” said Damian Chan, Executive Vice President of the Singapore Economic Development Board.
“GOOD Meat is a key member of our growing ecosystem of more than 70 alternative protein companies and we look forward to their continued contributions in driving agrifood innovation from Singapore for the region and beyond.”
