Alternative Universe
At a time when food safety and security are more crucial than ever, Singapore-based food tech companies are reinventing the menu by offering sustainable solutions to how food is being produced and novel ways to enjoy a bite
Singapore‑based food tech companies are upping their game by offering sustainable solutions to increasing food production
The alternative protein industry, which includes cell-based and plant-based companies, has been mushrooming over the last few years spurring a movement to change the way we eat. The products may be different but their collective goal is to repair our broken food systems and achieve a more sustainable future by reducing global meat consumption and replacing them with other protein-rich solutions.
Food security is a precarious issue especially in Singapore where arable land is scarce and produce is generally imported. However, the government is strategically focusing on producing 30 per cent of the population’s nutritional needs by 2030 through an innovative route. With scores of industry experts, like-minded investors, and an open-minded dining scene, Singapore offers a promising ecosystem for the following food tech companies to thrive and launch their global crusade to change how food is made, distributed and consumed right here on our shores.
EAT JUST
In December 2020, Singapore became the first country in the world to grant approval of the sale of cultured chicken—meat produced by in vitro cell culture of animal cells. The “chicken bites”, produced by San Francisco-based food company Eat Just, are now on the menu in the city state, with other countries worldwide expected to follow suit soon.
According to Josh Tetrick, the co-founder and CEO of Eat Just, the approval process took two years in total. Within weeks of getting regulatory approval, its cultured chicken, made from animal cells without having to slaughter chicken, saw its first commercial client in Singapore private members’ club, 1880.
Eat Just is a key player in the global billion-dollar alternative protein industry. Entrepreneurs in the space say they are driven by the determination to reverse the negative impacts of the traditional meat industry on animals, farmers and the planet. When Tetrick started the company (then known as Beyond Eggs) with his co-founder, Josh Balk, in 2011, they focused on the most consumed animal protein in the world: chicken eggs.
Under the Just Egg brand, the pair developed a nongmo, cholesterol-free alternative to scrambled eggs, using mung bean as the key ingredient. Since launching in the US in 2019, the number of Just Egg bottles sold is the vegan equivalent of some 80 million chicken eggs.
According to Eat Just’s Impact Report 2020, this translates into several positive impacts on the environment, such as saving 1.48 billion gallons of water and 2,435 acres of land that would have been used to rear chickens, and a reduction of nearly six million kilograms in carbon emissions.
With the history-making regulatory approval of its cultured chicken in Singapore, Tetrick is making the country the base for Eat Just’s Asian hub, and possibly home to its global manufacturing hub in the future.
The American entrepreneur discusses Asia’s appetite for cultured meat, the common misconceptions surrounding the product, and how cultured meat could help prevent the next pandemic.
How big of a milestone is this first regulatory approval?
For the longest time, people thought about cultured meat as science fiction, as something that might materialise in some distant future. It’s been talked about as being “lab-grown”, and this label was
accurate until we came around and Singapore gave our meat clearance.
The regulatory approval is a significant milestone for the industry because now our chicken can be stored in a walk-in freezer in a restaurant in Singapore, rather than in a lab. It can be manufactured in a larger manufacturing environment, rather than in a lab. It is now going to be consumed by Singaporeans visiting a restaurant with their friends and family, instead of only by me and my scientists in a lab. It represents a mindset shift from what we thought would happen maybe in 50 years’ time to it happening now.
What is the production process of cultured meat like?
We first obtain the animal cells and use different techniques to do so, including obtaining the cells from a cell-culture bag or a fresh piece of meat. We then identify a combination of nutrients to feed the cells. The third major step is to move the cell to a larger steel vessel, similar to how beer is being brewed in a microbrewery. This is when the cells multiply and meat is being manufactured, and it all happens in a clean, sanitary environment.
Cultured meat might be an answer to one of the biggest fears the coronavirus has triggered—infectious diseases transmitted from non-humans to humans. Is that true?
That’s right. Zoonotic diseases such as the coronavirus don’t happen by accident. They happen because of what we do. These include cramming animals into tiny spaces, disrupting natural habitats and stacking cages on top of each other in wet markets. Our approach of producing meat mitigates the probability of zoonotic disease outbreaks entirely because the conditions that allow them to emerge are no longer there.
What are some misconceptions about cultured meat you would like to debunk?
Number one: that cultured meat is genetically modified. We don’t genetically modify or engineer our meat at all. Two: cultured meat will never be at the cost of conventional meat. The fact is any new category is going to be expensive at first because you haven’t yet got a large enough production scale. But as you make more of it, the cost comes down. Eventually, I believe our cultured meat will be at a lower cost than conventional meat.
Final misconception: the cultured meat industry is harming farmers in the traditional meat industry. The fact is these farmers can reorient themselves around this new kind of production. For example, we work with a group of Wagyu beef farmers in Japan to produce a cultured Wagyu beef product.
What does the future of cultured meat look like to you?
I think cultured meat is going to have a lower cost than conventional meat. It’ll continue to taste as good, if not better, in the future. You’re also going to have significantly less food safety issues as the industry develops. And you’re going to have more humans seeing what they’re putting in their bodies and what it means to their health. And because of all that, my fixation is ensuring that by the time my two-year-old niece enters high school, the vast majority of chicken, beef or pork won’t require killing a single animal.
KARANA
Founded in Singapore in 2018 by its co-ceos
Blair Crichton and Daniel Riegler, Karana is Asia’s first whole plant-based meat brand. Its first product is whole plant-based pork made from organic young jackfruit sourced from Sri Lanka. Karana’s solutions deliver a revolutionary next-generation meat alternative. The company uses proprietary processing technology to create “meat” from whole plants, and enhance the ingredients’ texture, without any chemicals or heavy processing.
Riegler points out, “Jackfruit is one of the most sustainable crops in the world and a very friendly crop for smallholder farmers. It can offer significant income generation potential while requiring minimal inputs and maintenance. It is mostly grown intercropped (crops grown among other plants, usually in alternating rows or sections) on mixed farms, which is much better for soil health and provides diversification for farmers.
“[It was chosen] based on its sustainability profile and potential for various product applications—and we apply a similar framework to other ingredients we are exploring. We have exciting things in the pipeline, but there is still a lot more we can do with jackfruit.”
On choosing to base the business in Singapore, Riegler explains, “Singapore is very well-positioned geographically and as a logistics hub to be a centre for innovation in food and agriculture for the region. Given the level of intellectual property protection, business climate, and addressable market in APAC, Singapore should become a major player, especially as larger food companies continue to invest here and the resources available to startups increase.”
In 2021, Karana’s jackfruit-based pork will be offered in shredded and minced formats to the restaurant and food service sector. The company also hopes to expand its food service and retail product lines in Singapore and launch in other markets, starting with Hong Kong. Riegler shares: “We will be launching our ready-tocook dim sum line and developing a whole range of convenience-focused whole plant-based products, as well as working with new ingredients and types of ‘meat.’”
“Jackfruit is one of the most sustainable crops in the world and a very friendly crop for smallholder farmers”—daniel RIEGLER
TURTLETREE LABS
Fengru Lin’s search for high-quality milk to satisfy her cheese-making passion revealed to her the ugly realities of cattle farming. After years in the tech world, including cloud computing service Salesforce, and most recently Google, the Singaporean, together with American technopreneur Max Rye, decided to focus their energies on exploring cell-based technology for food production.
In 2019, the duo founded Turtletree Labs, the world’s first company that uses a cell-based method to create milk and milk components for dairy milk and infant nutrition production. They subsequently filed their patents and scaled the Singapore- and
San Francisco-based biotech startup. Currently, they have 22 full-time scientists and engineers working across six different teams.
Turtletree realises the urgency to embrace alternative proteins these days. “The threat of climate change and the ongoing pandemic have exacerbated the issue of food security. The world is looking for different sources of food production and alternative proteins is one of the answers. We need to work closely with consumers to understand their sensitivities while educating them on the technologies behind these innovations,” says Lin.
One of the benefits of cell-based milk is that production is less resource consumptive than conventional dairy farming methods. Lin explains, “Cellular agriculture protein creates 78 per cent to 96 per cent greenhouse gas emissions, [and uses] 82 per cent to 96 per cent less water and 99 per cent less land compared to its traditional counterparts. In addition, cellular technology has enabled access to bioactive components, including proteins and complex sugars, found in human milk that have previously been inaccessible.”
Some of these proteins in human milk have been proven to help with immunity, gut health and brain development. She elaborates, “Theoretically, we should be able to over-express and under-express certain genes to remove or increase the concentration of certain components in milk including lactose.”
Today, there are constant reminders that traditional methods of milk production are bad for the planet. Lin says, “Cattle are estimated to produce 11 per cent of all human induced greenhouse gas emissions, with 72 per cent of the emissions occurring in processes prior to the milk leaving the farm. Livestock produces 37 per cent of global methane emissions, which is 25 times more effective at trapping radiation as CO2. And as demand for dairy products increases with the rising global population, novel strategies for milk production are more important than ever.”
Turtletree plans to work with global conglomerates to market its products. It has also started collaborating with universities such as the Nanyang Technological University to understand consumer perception about cell-based products. The results of these studies will form an integral part of its marketing strategy.
In 2021, the company aims to send out samples of its highly functional and beneficial bioactive components to potential customers in the dairy and infant nutrition industry. It also hopes to clinch its first commercial deals. Lin adds that Turtletree’s goal is to be the gold standard for sustainable food technology when it comes to milk production.
Today, there are constant reminders that traditional methods of milk production are bad for the planet
BIG IDEA VENTURES
The top-line mission for Big Idea Ventures, a New Yorkand Singapore-based venture capital and accelerator firm founded in 2018, is “to solve the world’s greatest challenges by supporting the world’s best entrepreneurs”. Backed by investors such as Singapore’s Temasek Holdings and US food giant Tyson Foods, the firm’s first fund—the $50 million New Protein Fund in 2019—focused on cell-based meat, seafood and dairy products, as well as those facilitating the ingredients and technologies in the ecosystem startups. In 2021, the company will be opening new offices in France and India. Its New York-based founder and managing general partner Andrew D Ive believes that cell-based food tech, instead of plant-based, is the long-term solution. He shares why he’s investing in the world of alternative proteins.
Why do you think Singapore is at the forefront of the innovative plant-based and cell-based meat industries?
There are a couple of components to that. The Singapore government is very supportive of food innovation and improving food security. They have a long-term plan, and they are prepared to invest and bring the right people together. It’s about building a hub and a strong ecosystem that functions well together. You also need the entire value chain, the ingredient providers, contract manufacturers, distributors, retailers and producers.
The government recognises this ecosystem approach and encourages its development. We were the first accelerator firm in the alternative protein space that they invested in. We appreciate being right in the middle of this ecosystem. In addition, plant-based food has a tradition in Asia. So, it’s not too much a leap for consumers to grab on to the [plant-based] innovation.
Ultimately, a lot of global food companies have decided that Singapore is a great headquarters because of the infrastructure, the educated workforce, the rule of law, and the respect for intellectual property. It is also liveable, multicultural, and has great food.
“I would actually prefer it if we had the traditional menus that people love but with ingredients that are more sustainable” —ANDREW D IVE
Why is there a real urgency to embrace alternative proteins today?
In Singapore, 95 per cent of the food consumed is imported. If there is a disruption or a pandemic, it won’t take very long before the borders are closed, and that’s a concern. But I think the answer in the long term is cell-based, rather than plant-based. Because for plantbased, you still need pea protein or wheat as the core ingredient. And if you can’t get the ingredient, plantbased isn’t going to work either.
How important is the New Protein Fund in the postpandemic world?
Our goal is to fund 100 amazing companies in the alternative protein space over a four to five year period, and to support and back them. But we don’t just give money. We have mentors and experts to help them avoid normal challenges that young companies face when
they grow too quickly. We want to help them grow, survive, and ultimately become global brands. I want to walk into a grocery store in 10 years’ time and see that we’ve supported 20 to 30 per cent of the products on the shelves.
What do you predict will be the next big thing?
Fermentation is a key area of exploration in the food innovation space. We have seen companies growing honey using fermentation—without bees. We’ve seen companies create plant-based fish and shrimp using micro-bio fermentation or mycelium (mushrooms).
Another more cutting-edge innovation is using regular plants as bioreactors. For example, there’s a company that puts dairy fat inside a crop, and when it grows, the milk inside multiplies.
Will we be seeing a lot more innovative menus in the near future?
I would actually prefer it if we had the traditional menus that people love but with ingredients that are more sustainable—and that are more cell- and plant-based versus animal- or seafood-based. We want the food to be great tasting, great for people and the planet. People are not going to change to these new ingredients unless the taste is as good if not better than what they’re used to.