Asia’s Alternative Protein Movement and the Singaporean Startups Leading the Way

The alternative protein industry in Asia is young, but alive and kicking, teeming with potential and possibilities to innovate the present – and future – of food.

We've heard of Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, companies in the United States whose plant-based meat alternatives, through science, taste and even bleed like real meat. But plant-based substitutes are not the only food covered by the alternative protein industry, which also includes cultivated meat, cell-based milk, and lab-grown meat.

Singapore has emerged as Asia's food technology capital, thanks, in part, to the Singaporean government's active support of alternative protein in the city-state. According to the 2020 Asia Alternative Protein Industry Report, published by Green Queen Media, the Singaporean government's "30 by 30 goal" was set up to produce 30% of the city-state's food domestically by 2030. The government is also supportive of new protein startups and closely works with these to develop regulatory frameworks for such products to reach the public. 

The Ministry of Manpower's Workforce Singapore statutory board likewise has policies in place to support employees who wish to enter the startup scene by offering a "career trial program" to subsidise their salaries.

Apart from the government, new protein startups in Singapore are also supported by Big Idea Ventures. According to the AAPI report, it is the only venture capital firm in the city-state to solely focus on alternative proteins.

With this systemic support from both the government and the private side, Singapore has become Asia’s innovation hub where the only limit among startups and entrepreneurs is the sky.

The New Protein Startups in Singapore Leading the Way

Shiok Meats

The first in Singapore and Southeast Asia to cultivate meat and seafood, Shiok Meats aims to bring sustainable and healthy seafood to the public by growing meat from healthy cells inside of killing animals. The company, which cultivates shrimps, lobsters, and crabs, is currently in its research and development phase and plans to commercialise in 2023.

LIFE3 Biotech

Singapore-based LIFE3 Biotech's flagship product is a "proprietary plant-based protein" that aims to meet the demand for sustainable, cruelty-free, and nutritious food. Its products are made with 100% plant-based ingredients, which includes legumes and different vegetables.

Karana

The hero ingredient behind Karana is the jackfruit, known for its fibrous, meat-like texture, to produce a delicious and meat-free alternative as a healthy and sustainable food option. Interested? Check out these restaurants in Singapore and Hong Kong serving Karana's whole-plant meat shreds!

Turtletree Labs

A Singaporean biotechnology company focused on producing "human milk for all humans,” Turtletree Labs is transparent on the process involved in creating its cell-based milk. It is done by performing a one-time extraction of mammary cells, feeding the most viable cells with micronutrients so these can flourish, and inducing these cells to convert the micronutrients into milk.

This milk, both better for society and kinder to the planet, can then be harvested and purified.