The Singapore Food Agency has given a United States-based start-up known as "Eat Just" permission to begin selling its lab-grown meat, which will become the world's first regulatory approval for cultured meat. Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Josh Tetrick of Eat Just said that the meat will be initially sold as nuggets though the price is will be comparable to "premium chicken at a high-end restaurant" but did not give any exact price ranges. While the price is still quite high, a spokesperson from Eat Just said that the company is actively attempting to lower the price while trying to grow other types of meat such as fish and beef in bioreactors.

The approval was applauded by some environmentalists and animal rights activists. The cultured meat will not require live animals to be kept on farms or slaughtered, will require less area to grow than conventional farms, and will result in less greenhouse gas emissions. No antibiotics will be used, and because of its cultured origin, the chicken reportedly has less microbiological content than conventional chicken. The meat is essentially grown in bioreactors in a fluid of amino acids, carbohydrates, minerals, and salt.

Due to its small area, Singapore currently imports well over 90% of its foods, making it vulnerable to export bans or logistics difficulties as seen during the Covid-19 Coronavirus pandemic. The Singapore Food Agency has spearheaded a program known as "30 by 30" where the city-state aims to produce 30% of its food supply locally by 2030.

Note: All images used in this article were retrieved from the public domain and do not require attribution or citation for commercial purposes.