Taste the Future

Other noteworthy Singapore-based alternative protein companies

NEXT GEN FOODS

Next Gen Foods is a new food technology startup specialising in plant-based meat products. It recently launched TINDLE, a next-generation “chicken” made from plants. The company is backed by a team with strong experience in food tech and alternative protein. It is helmed by founder and CEO Timo Recker, the former head of German plant-based meat company Likemeat, and co-founder Andre Menezes, ex general manager of Country Foods, the company that rolled out Impossible Foods in Singapore.

From March 2021, Singapore will be the first city in the world to experience the alternative chicken product, which is said to have the same taste, mouthfeel, texture and versatility as normal chicken. The “meat” is made using simple non-gmo and nonnovel plant ingredients such as water, soy, sunflower oil and coconut fat.

SHIOK MEATS

Shiok Meats’ mission is to offer delicious, clean, sustainable, and healthy seafood by harvesting from cells instead of animals. It is the only company in the world working on cell-based crustacean meat, including shrimp, crab and lobster. These products reportedly boast the same taste and texture as conventional seafood. To create them, crustacean cells are grown in nutrient-rich conditions and harvested a few weeks after.

The company was founded by two stem cell scientist-turned-entrepreneurs, Sandhya Sriram, who is the CEO, and Ka Yi Ling, the chief scientific officer. They work alongside a team of experienced scientists, engineers and food technologists. Currently in its R&D phase, Shiok Meats plan to commercialise its products in 2022. The company launched Singapore’s first cell-based shrimp siew mai dumplings in April 2019 and the first cell-based lobster in November 2020.