New APAC Cellular Agriculture Coalition Aims To ‘Foster A Harmonized Industry’ Ahead Of Commercialization

The APAC Society for Cellular Agriculture (APAC-SCA) announced its launch this week as a new coalition with a mission to offer member companies developing cultivated meat and seafood access to shared information. Its key priorities include interacting with consumers, building knowledge and acceptance and developing straightforward regulatory frameworks.

In a joint statement by APAC-SCA’s management committee, which include founders from some of the region’s most established cultivated players such as Dr. Sandhya Sriram (President) of Shiok  Meats; Mr. Ziliang Yang (Secretary) of CellX; Dr. Jay Hyeongun Jee (Treasurer) of DanaGreen; Mr. Gary Brenner, Director of Market and Corporate Development at Aleph Farms;  and Ms. Carrie Chan, CEO and Co-founder of Avant Meats said:  “We’re delighted to announce the launch of the APAC Society for Cellular Agriculture; we hope the society and our coalition will foster a productive and harmonized industry in APAC.”

A shared vision

The 11 founding members include Singapore’s Shiok Meats and Gaia Foods, Israel’s Aleph Farms, SuperMeat and MeaTech, Hong Kong’s Avant Meats, China’s CellX and Joes Future Food, South Korea’s DaNAgreen and SeaWith, and Japan’s IntegriCulture.

All of the 11 companies signed up to the society share one common vision: cultivated meat and seafood products as a key solution to numerous issues that plague the global food supply chain, as well as to guarantee food security, human health, sustainability and animal welfare. APAC-SCA hopes to be a ‘kick-start’ for the entire sector, bringing harmonised values and goals together for mutual benefit and industry progression.

“As a society, we wish to engage with all the stakeholders in the region to promote transparency, safety, and awareness. We stand behind the vision of a more sustainable, healthy, and food-secure planet for all, and hope to build  long-lasting partnerships with key industry, community, public, and governmental entities in efforts of promoting a brighter future.” 

Initial focus points

While each individual member company is working on reaching its own milestones, all share one important common goal: bringing cultivated products to market.

As such, APAC-SCA’s priorities will include connecting with key policymakers within the regulatory sphere, to offer education and access to developments. From there, industry think tanks will prove invaluable, especially when looking to connect with consumers. One of the biggest stumbling blocks for the cultivated meat and seafood sectors, aside from gaining approvals for commercial sale, is public acceptance. The APAC-SCA will work to drive consumer awareness and understanding about the benefits and safety of cellular agriculture.

The need for representation

The APAC-SCA’s announcement comes on the heels of the Good Food Institute (GFI) APAC’s recently released its 2021 investment report, which revealed that last year was a record year for the alt-protein sector in the region, with increases across the board for all verticals. Most pertinently, cultivated meat and seafood claimed more funding than ever before” $62 million, up from $44 million in 2020, was recorded, demonstrating significant growth. One of the key reasons is that Singapore has established its spot on the global map as a leading city when it comes to alternative protein innovation. The nation-state remains the only country globally that has allowed for cultivated meat to be sold commercially, with Eat Just’s GOOD Meat chicken available at various F&B spots, including hawker stalls.

Lead photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels.