Novel foods are defined as foods and food ingredients that"do not have a history of safe use", according to a document detailing the requirements by SFA, which drew its definition from guidelines in countries like Australia, Canada and Japan.
"The safety of novel food must be assessed before they can be allowed to be used in food for sale in Singapore," Dr Tan Lee Kim, SFA's director-general of food administration and deputy chief executive told the media.Plant-based meats, such as those developed by Impossible Foods, are not considered novel foods as they are made of protein extracted from commonly consumed plants.
A lab-grown chicken soon to make its global debut in Singapore was the first novel food product assessed under the guidelines. Meat and seafood consumption in Asia is forecast to go up by 78 per cent by 2050 due to increasing urbanisation and wealth, according to a 2018 report by consultancy firm Asia Research & Engagement.
In Singapore, homegrown start-up and cell-based seafood maker Shiok Meats said in September that it had attracted US$12.6 million in series A funding. SEEDS Capital, the investment arm of Enterprise Singapore, was one of the shareholders to come on board."It is excellent," its co-founder Dr Sandhya Sriram said."Having clear guidelines is actually an advantage."
Ms Elaine Siu, the managing director of The Good Food Institute Asia Pacific, a group that advocates plant-based and cultivated meat development, said the move is"a very big deal".
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