Lab-grown pork might be available in Singapore by the second quarter of 2024.
Pork-based products
In the lead-up to its product launch, Dutch start-up Meatable held its first ever press tasting in Singapore in September.
Its hybrid pork products are made of one-third cultivated meat and two-thirds plant-based protein, reported The Business Times (BT).
Meatable's mission is to provide meat "without harming people, animals or the planet".
It said it managed to shorten the amount of time needed to create cultivated pork meat from three weeks to only eight days.
In comparison, it takes eight months to rear a pig for meat.
The cultivating process starts from a single extracted animal cell.
Its patented opti-ox technology replicates the natural growth process, manipulating pluripotent stem cells from a calf's umbilical cord into differentiated muscle and fat cells.
The company reported in August 2023 that it secured a total of US$95 million (S$130 million) in funding.
Rollout in Singapore
Meatable is currently seeking regulatory approval from the Singapore Food Agency (SFA).
Its products, such as sausages and pulled pork, will be found in some restaurants, according to The Straits Times.
They may also be available at some supermarkets, with prices comparable to those of organic meat in the “high-end range”.
Meatable's co-founder and chief executive Krijn de Nood said the amount produced for the launch next year will be "relatively small", likely only at a select few restaurants.
It aims to scale its operations up and sell its products widely in Singapore sometime in 2025.
The company chose Singapore as its first market as Singapore was the first country to legalise and approve the sale of cultivated meat products, back in 2020, reported BT.
Following the launch in Singapore, Meatable plans to expand its products to other markets like the U.S.
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Top images via Meatable.