Edible innovations in Singapore could be the world's answer to the hunger crisis

Chicken meat produced in Singapore without slaughter might soon be a staple at F&B outlets — and first steps in this direction have been taken, such as at popular local food stall Loo’s Hainanese Curry Rice during a two-week pop-up event.

Eat Just’s cultivated meat subsidiary GOOD Meat, which sells directly to consumers and businesses, successfully teamed up with the family-run outlet, making it the first of its kind in the world to serve the product. When the Silicon Valley foodtech unicorn opens Asia’s largest cultivated meat facility in Singapore come 2023, it will be able to produce tens of thousands of kilograms of cell-cultured chicken to feed diners across the region.

“In Asia, Singapore has become the hub of production, R&D, and innovation across our company,” said Josh Tetrick, co-founder and CEO of Eat Just. “Singapore is really living in the future. It is not just focused on policies that make a difference today, but the kind of framework needed to build a thriving Singapore, long into the future.”

The alternative protein producer is one of many agritech startups plugging into Singapore’s framework, to deliver science-based, sustainable alternatives that address global food security, improve farming, and eradicate hunger.

Vertical farming specialist &ever, and Singapore-based Aquaculture Centre of Excellence (ACE) enjoy the country’s forward-thinking and collaborative ecosystem. Their solutions work around constraints such as limited land and sea resources, to generate higher yield while reducing environmental impact.

Critical to these successes is Singapore's supportive environment that drives innovation. This has enabled the delivery of world-first standards in the sale of cultivated meat; pushed the boundaries of what vertical farming can harvest no matter the climate or space; even designed fish farms that produce healthy fish without causing pollution.

Millions of pounds of meat from just a single cell

GOOD Meat can produce millions of pounds of meat from just a single cell, eliminating the entire chain of resources currently used to farm chickens – a better, smarter way to make meat for the world.

Josh said his team developed a thoughtful, collaborative relationship with regulators, noting that they are fast-moving and evidence-based, with a strong protection of intellectual property rights. That understanding has made what used to exist in science fiction a reality in Singapore back in 2020, when it became the first country in the world to approve the sale of cell-cultured meat that does not harm the environment or accelerate diseases.

Plus, Singapore’s reputation as a food paradise has attracted adventurous eaters, who represent a cross-section of cultures.

“Consumers in Singapore come from all across Asia. They’re very discerning,” said Josh, adding that he is closer to his dream to “live in a world where the vast majority of meat doesn’t require the slaughter of a single animal, knocking down a rainforest, or using a single drop of antibiotics”.

He said, “Building that future of food starts here in Singapore.”

A new way of farming fish to save oceans 

Farming healthy fish sustainably is ACE’s chief executive Leow Ban Tat’s dream. Instead of retiring at 60, he designed the Eco-Ark®, which marries offshore and maritime technology with aquaculture for near shore and offshore sea space to raise and harvest healthy fish — all within a single unit

The Eco-Ark® enables fully controlled, year-round farming, cultivating fish vertically downwards to save energy and maximise space in the sea. As the world’s first closed containment floating fish farm, it also ensures safe, efficient processing to retain the highest quality of harvests.

The marine engineer-turned-entrepreneur says the Eco-Ark® avoids marine pollution and was made possible with the strong IP support that Singapore provides. This enabled him to secure patents in nine countries including China, US., Indonesia and Australia.

He pointed out: “Singapore is the perfect platform for ACE as our government has been instrumental in supporting innovative small businesses like us.”

Now, the Eco-Ark® is headed overseas. Said Ban Tat: “With its highly-productive and sustainable farming technology, the Eco-Ark® is designed to be scalable and easy to help feed the world. We can eliminate overfishing by multiplying our own fish production significantly and doing so all year round. It can eventually replace highly-pollutive and unsustainable net-cage-farming and pond farming, so the world can enjoy healthy fish that is sustainably grown and keep our oceans healthy.”

Growing the cleanest greens in the world, year round

Kerstin Köhler, Vice President, Business Development & Sales Asia Pacific of indoor vertical farm &ever, is addressing another aspect of food security: Yield.

&ever's 15m mega-farm in Singapore will house a global R&D centre and produce 500,000 kilograms of vegetables per year, which can be harvested right before consumption, resulting in higher nutritional value and reduced food waste. Using automation, machine learning and efficient climate control technologies, &ever makes it possible to grow crops locally in any climate location, all year round. It will also serve as the ultimate testbed for new indoor farming technologies before the company expands in the region; a model for future farms.

Vertical farming has multiple benefits, she explains: “It enables us to grow greens in a very small area that is optimised for indoor farming, which gives us not just higher yield and higher nutrients with the same amount of input, but is also better for our health and the planet.”

Automation and a highly-controlled environment also does away with pesticides. “We don't need pesticides, because it's such a clean environment. And there are also almost zero hands involved, meaning we have the cleanest produce in the world.”

Singapore’s vibrant research ecosystem also enabled &ever to find partners, such as A*STAR, which matched well with their needs to be at the forefront of innovations as an agritech startup. One of their research projects develops a hybrid lighting system which makes the best use of natural sunlight in closed environments, while only adding artificial light based on the plants’ requirements.

Setting up the business in Singapore was smooth because of its skilled workforce, Kerstin said: “We have since managed to hire an amazing local team, who are talented and dedicated to our mission and vision — which is the heart of any business.”

She added, “My biggest hope for the future of food is that together, we can create new technologies to one day achieve food security. And this starts right here in Singapore.”