GOOD Meat, the cultivated meat division of Eat Just, Inc., a company that applies cutting-edge science and technology on a mission to create healthier, more sustainable foods, broke ground today on the largest cultivated meat production center in Asia. The complex, scheduled to open in Q1 2023 at JTC Bedok Food City, will have the capacity to produce tens of thousands of pounds of meat from cells, without the need to slaughter a single animal.
The buildout will house the single-largest bioreactor in the cultivated meat industry to date. Local production will help GOOD Meat meet growing consumer demand for its chicken products, which have been available for purchase in Singapore since December 2020. The facility will also be home to approximately 50 researchers, scientists and engineers.
In remarks at the ceremony, Eat Just Co-Founder and CEO Josh Tetrick said building the company’s first meat production site in the region is a major step for the industry. The company is also considering future operations for expanded large-scale production, additional research and development activities, and the export of GOOD Meat products across Asia, subject to regulatory approval.
“Less than two years ago, Singapore made history, and since that moment, consumers have enjoyed the world’s first and only commercially available slaughter-free meat at high-end restaurants, hawker stalls and in their own homes,” Tetrick said. “We view Singapore as vital in our plans to build this new approach to making meat. We’ll launch new products here, distribute to other countries in Asia from here and learn from consumers here who have proven themselves to be at the cutting edge of what’s next.”
“As consumer trends and technology evolve, alternative proteins such as plant-based, microbial and cultured meat could contribute meaningfully to the ‘30 by 30’ goal. SFA will continue to work closely with the industry and research entitles to grow its capacity to produce a wide variety of food, including our protein needs, locally,” said Mr. Chan Hian Lim, Deputy CEO (Corporate, Industry and Technology) of the Singapore Food Agency, Singapore’s regulatory authority entrusted with ensuring a safe food supply.
“We are excited to welcome GOOD Meat to JTC Bedok Food City, where there’s a growing ecosystem of food companies pursuing sustainable food innovation and manufacturing. As an industrial developer, JTC sees the importance of curating industry ecosystems in our estates to accelerate business growth. We are seeing a growing number of companies exploring innovative food solutions and believe that GOOD Meat’s presence will help catalyze new partnerships and synergies in alternative protein and other emerging innovative areas,” added Alvin Tan, Assistant CEO of JTC’s Industry Cluster Group, the government agency charged with championing sustainable industrial development in Singapore.
“Eat Just’s new facility will boost Singapore’s ability to develop critical scale-up processes in novel urban food solutions such as cell-cultured meat and support our interest in food resilience. This facility will also provide many good job opportunities for Singaporeans to be at the cutting edge of novel food technologies. We look forward to working closely with such like-minded companies to develop Singapore into a hub where innovative agri-food solutions can be developed to feed the world,” said Mr. Damian Chan, Executive Vice President, Singapore Economic Development Board.
At the groundbreaking, Singapore Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu also shared her excitement about how GOOD Meat’s new facility will enhance the vibrancy of Singapore’s agri-food ecosystem.
Today’s event comes on the heels of GOOD Meat’s partnership announcement with ABEC, Inc. to design, manufacture, install and commission the largest known bioreactors for avian and mammalian cell culture. Also in May, GOOD Meat unveiled a partnership with international nutrition leader ADM intended to decrease key costs related to cultivated meat production.
