Laboratory-made chicken was served for the first time at a restaurant in Singapore on Saturday, a historic milestone for its manufacturers who hope to reduce the carbon footprint of meat consumption on the planet.
Read also: Artificial meat authorized for sale in Singapore, a world first
The start-up Eat Just announced in early December that its laboratory meat grown from animal cells had been authorized for sale as an ingredient in nuggets by the authorities of the city-state of Southeast Asia, which is the first country in the world to allow such a practice.
On Wednesday, the start-up announced its first commercial sale in 1880, a restaurant in an upscale district of Singapore.
Saturday evening, the establishment served this laboratory meat to young people aged 14 to 18 invited for this launch because of their "commitment to build a better planet".
This historic dinner was not open to journalists due to the Covid-19 epidemic.
"Revolutionary stage"
Serving this artificial meat is a "revolutionary step in the fight against climate change and supplying the world population without damaging the planet," says the founder of the "1880" restaurant, Marc Nicholson.
For Eat Just founder Josh Tetrick, this premiere “brings us closer to a world where the majority of the meat we'll eat won't require destroying a single forest, moving a single animal habitat, or using a single animal habitat. one drop of antibiotics. "
Global meat consumption is expected to increase by 70% by 2050, and artificial meat may soon meet some of the demand, according to the start-up.
Intensive farming for meat consumption is a source of methane, a gas that promotes the greenhouse effect.
In some countries such as Brazil, this sector contributes to the destruction of forests, natural barriers to global warming.
The demand for alternatives to meat is growing, but the products currently available are plant-based.
Dozens of start-ups are working on artificial meat projects around the world, but production has so far remained experimental.
The very high cost of producing artificial meat is seen as a brake on its development, but, according to a spokesperson for the start-up, Eat Just has made "considerable progress" in reducing costs.
