In a first, Singapore gives green light for sale of lab-grown meat

Singapore has given a green light to restaurants to serve lab-grown chicken for the first time, reported AFP.

A US-based start-up, Eat Just, used animal cells and produced meat in bioreactors.

Releasing a statement, it said the news marked a “breakthrough for the global food industry and marks one step close to find less environmentally harmful ways of producing meat.”

According to the start-up, meat consumption is projected to increase over 70% by 2050 and experts have frequently warned it is a key driver of climate change.

“I’m sure that our regulatory approval for cultured meat will be the first of many in Singapore and in countries around the globe,” said Josh Tetrick, co-founder and CEO of Eat Just.

The company said it had conducted over 20 production runs in 1,200 litre bioreactors, and checks on safety and quality showed its “cultured” product — the term for meat grown in labs from animal cells — met food standards.

The meat was approved by the Singapore Food Agency, the city-state’s regulator, after an extensive safety review, Eat Just said.