Singapore, the first to host dinner by serving cultivated (lab-grown meat) to world leaders at climate change summit

At the recently concluded climate conference in Egypt, Singapore hosted a dinner for leaders from nine countries, with cultivated, or lab-grown meat, on the menu for the night. Cultivated meat is grown from animal cells in a bioreactor.

In Singapore, the first and so far, the only country in the world where cell-based meat is allowed to be sold commercially, and only 10 per cent of the food it needs is locally grown. In a move to be less reliant on imports, Singapore has pledged to produce 30 per cent of its food locally. Hence, the push toward lab-grown meat, along with seafood.

“It’s the smarter way to make meat. Asian markets play a central role in this shift. Around 10 countries eat fish, out of which seven of them are in Asia, this would be like creating an ocean of opportunity for alternative seafood producers,” Bloomberg quotes Mirte Gosker, the managing director of Singapore-based non-profit Good food Institute Asia Pacific as saying.

The dinner was held during the second week of the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC). The guests that night included leaders from Indonesia, Cambodia, Bhutan, Laos, San Marino, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, and Malaysia, The Good Food Institute APAC said in a tweet.

The event was hosted by Ms Grace Fu, the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment. The dinner, which took place at the Four Seasons resort on Nov 14, was held in collaboration with The Good Food Institute APAC and meat company Good Meat with the aim of promoting lab-grown meat.

“This year is the first time cultivated meat has been served at a global summit,” it added. “The menu at this special event featured the latest version of GOOD Meat’s cultivated chicken served three ways—a skewer, chicken skin, and grilled—further demonstrating the versatility of this groundbreaking and climate-resilient product.”

The government of Singapore and The Good Food Institute APAC worked together to make sure lab-grown meat could be brought into Egypt without any issues, as this type of product has not been approved for commercial sale yet. /TISG

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