Global food tech firm enters UAE market

DUBAI: A global plant-based food tech company founded in Singapore, at the height of the Novel Coronavirus 2020, and envisioned to help curtail climate change, has chosen the UAE as its next launch pad ater increasing demands in Hongkong, Macau and Malaysia.

Brazilian mechanical engineer-turned-next Gen Foods chief executive officer Andre Menezes told Gulf Today the UAE was chosen“because it is vibrant even in gastronomy. The people are well-educated and into innovation. The UAE has all the right elements like Singapore has when it comes to great food.”another factor that drove the expansion was the recent addition of $30 million investment from international individuals.

The food tech company with an initial $10 million cameaboutwhenmenezesmettimorecker,exposed to the food industry since childhood for his family in Germany has been manufacturing schnitzels and meat products for three generations.

Menezes said nine of 10 of their clients are carnivorous but have opted to go plant-based for their concerns with environmental degradation, with health, and the fact that “80 billion animals are currently slaughtered in a year for global food consumption, according to studies.”

In particular, the team, with Menezes and cofounder/chairman Recker at the helm, is introducing theirownversionofaplant-basedchickenoriginating in The Netherlands, a world leader in plant-based food products: “Singapore is also becoming the place to be for food tech space because of strong governmentsupport,venturecapitalism,theresearch and development space, the technology.”