Draft #1b Technical Report: Increasing Awareness of Cultured Meat as a Sustainable Food Alternative for Singapore

1. Introduction

1.1. Background information

Food sustainability is more than just the food itself; it takes into account several factors that describe the term, food sustainability. Food sustainability looks into the production, distribution, packaging and consumption of food (Ackers, 2019). For instance, having sustainable farming practices, a low environmental impact, and protecting public health are all essential factors that determine food sustainability. These factors ensure that the amount of farm produce is either consistent or increasing. These also ensure that natural resources are neither wasted nor damaged, and that is it healthy and safe for consumption, which means that there are no hazardous pesticides and chemicals, non-essential antibiotics or growth promotion supplements (Ackers, 2019). 

Food sustainability greatly impacts Singapore, as 90% of Singapore’s food supply is imported from other countries (Siau, 2019). Today, Singapore imports food from 170 countries, which is an increase from 160 countries in 2007. For instance, 35% of chicken, 17% of fish, 93% of duck and 76% of eggs in Singapore come from Malaysia. Brazil also supplies 47% of Singapore’s imported chicken, 30% of imported pork, and 53% of imported beef. 

While Singapore’s food security remains secure at the present moment, there is a need to implement new strategies. According to Siau (2019), Associate Professor Christopher Vas from Murdoch University commented that the global market continues to change and Singapore’s relationship with other countries might become weak, which could challenge our food supply. Incidents in the past have also shown that the food that Singapore imports may not always be the safest for consumption. Siau(2019) stated in 2014, that the cost of eggs increased when Malaysian farms were prohibited from supplying eggs to Singapore as their eggs were found to contain a bacterium called Salmonella Enteritidis, which results in food poisoning. Recently, rotten-meat was found in Brazil in March, when its police discovered that health inspectors had been bribed by major meatpackers to keep rotten meat on the market (Siau, 2019). These two incidents are crucial to take note of as a significant portion of eggs in Singapore are imported from Malaysia, while Brazil supplies Singapore with a significant amount of chicken, pork and beef.

In order for Singapore to ensure its food security in the midst of a global changing market, new food technologies and methods like cultured meat must be utilized. Singapore should also begin introducing cultured meat in universities to raise awareness of sustainable food alternatives. Ewing-Chow (2019) defined cultured meat as “livestock agriculture’s lab-based response to the vertical farming movement”. 

1.2. Problem Statement

Mahmud(2019) noted that Singapore is to reach the target of producing 30% of its nutritional needs locally by 2030, a figure set by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA). However, Singapore imports up to 90% of food globally. This shows that Singapore has a high dependency on global food imports. Much effort is required to reduce the statistic by introducing alternative food options and raising awareness on these food options that are available or to be introduced. The goal is for SFA to set its focus on a specific target audience, using Singapore Institute of Technology as a trial, to raise awareness on alternative food options such as cultured meat to the students and staff from the institute. A collaboration between SFA and SIT@Dover (Food Technology) to the campus.

1.3. Purpose Statement

This report aims to convince Mr Lim Chuan Poh, chairman of Singapore Food Agency, to come into a collaboration with SIT@Dover, in implementing the research and sale of cultured meat. We aim to increase food sustainability awareness within the campus and nurture the younger generation of Singapore into the acceptance of future food.

2. Proposed solutions

In order to boost awareness for cultured meat, more opportunity should be generated for students and staff from the institute to consume food items with cultured meat.  

In SIT@Dover, there are limited food options available. Often students can be found studying till late at night, estimated to be around 9-10pm, as observed by our team members. This is when both canteens in the institute would close operations for the day.

2.1. Promote awareness by setting up booths

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) should create more awareness through various means of publicity efforts.  Although cultured meat made its debut over the news, many individuals are still unaware of its existence as inferred from our surveyors’ statistic (Figure xx).

The team’s proposed solution is to elevate awareness of cultured meat through “targeted advertising” instead of generalizing publicity which may be more effective. As such, booths can be set up occasionally in SIT@Dover, which welcomes all individuals within the campus to get their first-hand experience in tasting cultured meats.

“Millennials are more open to new and innovative concepts, indicative of wider exposure to foreign cultures and products from an early age compared to their senior peers.” (Felgate, 2016). These prove the effectiveness in promoting awareness within university SIT@Dover, where younger generations can be nurtured and literate on the future of food sustainability, which eventually could be publicized through word of mouth.

2.2.  Launch vending machine with cultured meat food options

Singapore is quick to jump on the trend of offering 24-hours food service by vending machine (Russell, 2018). Vending machines could offer a wide range of food options which includes sandwiches, pizzas, salads and even fresh food item such as salmon (Tan, 2019). This service could also be extended to offer food options with cultured meat.  

Vending machines provide a convenient way to obtain food which would allow users to enjoy cultured meat. Since vending machines are operational all day, with the increase of the vending machines in the institute, students and staff would not need to worry over the limited food options. 

2.3.  Introduce cultured meat in the form of a project

Singapore should look to other countries for inspiration and adopt their innovative solutions.  For example, a Japanese start-up company based in Tokyo is trying to spread the awareness of lab-grown meat to school kids, by providing them with a custom made box to grow meat (Lutze, 2019). The box is roughly the size of a microwave, and the idea is for animal cells to be added to a sugary protein-filled liquid, resulting in the growth of little to lumps of meat.

Singapore can adopt this method by giving students and staff the opportunity to participate in this project, and give incentives to participants so as to make the project more appealing. The project can also be used as a platform to educate students and staff by inviting leading experts to share their experience and knowledge in cultured meat. This would make the project more meaningful as the participants are able to gain some knowledge about cultured meat, along with the unique experience of making meat. 

3. Benefits of proposed solutions

• Nutritional value of food may be a concern to many individuals. Cultured meat is able to be engineered to cater to certain nutrition outcomes by altering the cellular profile of nutrients. For instance, cultured meat could be grown to contain more protein and polyunsaturated fatty acids as compared to traditional meat. Thus this makes it possible to eliminate saturated fat, which potentially reduces the risk of chronic diseases.
• Using vending machines as a trial with cultured meat in it is a low-cost and innovative way according to Shen (2019).  Besides being budget-friendly, it also provides convenience for when collecting data from consumers. Based on an article from IOT News Asia, it is mentioned vending machines allows ‘retailers’ to gather critical information that could provide “valuable insights” on consumers’ data. 
• In the long run, if Singapore faces a sudden change in its food imports and cultured meat is already introduced to the wider population of Singapore, then Singapore Food Agency will have had a contribution in ensuring food security since there are alternative food such as cultured meat.

4. Limitations of proposed solutions

Despite the advantages these solutions could bring, their limitations should be considered. 

4.1. Disadvantage of vending machine business

Despite the numerous benefits vending machine business would benefit our proposed solution, there are a few concerns that were discussed by Gaille (2017) as while.  There is a possibility that there would be a lack of sales, resulting in a higher possibility for food to be stored to get stale. The vending machine also comes with high initial cost as vending machine air conditioning system to ensure the quality of the food. 

4.2. The cost involved with cultured meat

While cultured meat has its obvious benefits, there is still a major constraint in terms of the cost of producing cultured meat. In fact, certain reports have estimated that it would require 5  to 10 years for cultured meat to be accessible on a commercial scale (Begum, 2019).  Currently, cultured meat is expensive due to the pricey culture media needed to feed the cells. According to Begum (2019), Dr Ng stated that the price of 1kg of cultured meat was US$2.4 million, and the price reduced to US$5,000 in 2017. While this shows a reduction in the price of cultured meat, it is still expensive.  Dr Ng also mentioned that existing research on lab-grown meat is still in development, and only minced meat and fillings are likely to be available by 2030. This means that more complex meat such as a slice of beef steak or chicken fillet, would require more technology to produce the texture and taste that consumers desire, as mentioned by Dr Ng. The use of additional technology would in turn increase the cost of cultured meat.

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Mahmud, A. (2019, March 7). Singapore aims to produce 30% of its nutritional needs by 2030, up from less than 10%. CNA. Retrieved from https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/singapore-produce-30-own-food-up-from-10-nutritional-needs-11320426

Begum, S. (2019, March 27). Future food: Growing meat in lab to help meet supply needs. The Straits Times. Retrieved from https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/future-food-growing-meat-in-lab-to-help-meet-supply-needs

Begum, S. (2019, March 28). Food of the future: Beefing up efforts to grow meat in labs. The Straits Times. Retrieved from https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/beefing-up-efforts-to-grow-meat-in-labs

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Lutze, T. (2018, June 19). School kids in Japan are learning to grow meat in machines. Retrieved October 31, 2019, from https://www.newideafood.com.au/school-kids-in-japan-are-learning-to-grow-meat-in-machines.

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