Following a surge in demand for alternatives to regular meat, Singapore has approved ‘clean meat’ that is slaughter – free in a world first. This decision will allow companies such as Eat Just to sell lab-grown chicken meat.

The product, grown from animal muscle cells in a lab, tackles concerns around animal welfare and the climate crisis.

So what?

There is a lucrative market for meat alternatives, with Barclays suggesting that they could make up 10% of the meat industry by 2030. The rise in popularity of alternative meats such as plant-based products, sheds light on growing consumer demand for ethical products.

Despite the rising demand, the high cost of current clean products is set to be a challenge in attracting consumers to purchase them. Eat Just stated each of their lab-grown chicken nuggets would be $50 each.

However, Singapore’s support for clean meat by Eat Just has spurred on two other large start-ups to enter the cultured meat market – Future Meat Technologies and Memphis Meats. More investment in technologies developing the lab grown food, will certainly bring down the price but will it be enough to convince consumers that they’re safe for consumption? Could clean, cultured meat be the future of our diets?