Singapore becomes first country to approve sales of lab-created meat

US start-up Eat Just Inc., a maker of meat and egg substitutes, has been approved to sell its laboratory-created chicken in Singapore. With this, the country has become the first government to allow the sale of cultured meat. 

The product, created from animal cells without the slaughter of any chickens, will debut in Singapore under the GOOD Meat brand as a chicken bite with breading and seasoning in a single restaurant.

Demand for alternatives to regular meat is surging due to consumer concerns about health, animal welfare and the environment. Plant-based meat options, popularised by Beyond Meat Inc and Impossible Foods, increasingly feature on supermarket shelves and restaurant menus.

But so-called clean or cultured meat, which is grown from cells outside the animal, is still at a nascent stage.

"The first-in-the-world regulatory allowance of real, high-quality meat created directly from animal cells for safe human consumption paves the way for a forthcoming small-scale commercial launch in Singapore," Eat Just said on Wednesday.

The firm said the meat would be sold as nuggets, adding that launch details for the product will follow later. It has previously said that each nugget will cost $50.