Singapore becomes first country to approve sales of Lab-grown meat

Singapore, Dec 2: Singapore has become the first country to green-light sales of cultured chicken after the national food agency determined on Wednesday that it is safe for consumption, The Straits Times reported.

Cultured meat is produced via cell culture, instead from slaughtered animals. Chicken bites by Californian food start-up Eat Just is the first product to have passed the regulatory approval. Eat Just CEO Josh Tetrick told the newspaper that the cultured chicken bites would be manufactured in Singapore. He expects the product to "be served to consumers in a restaurant setting soon," though a timeline for when such chicken bites might be available is so far unclear.

According to the chief executive, in the beginning, such meat would probably cost as much as premium chicken, but the price would fall as production is stepped up. He explained that "to achieve our mission, we'll need to be below the cost of conventional chicken."