Tuna, which is familiar to Japanese people through sushi and sashimi, has recently become a popular food in the United States and other Asian countries. The consumption of fresh tuna
In recent years, interest in cultured meat has been growing around the world. Cultured meat is meat produced by culturing livestock cells, such as chicken and beef, in tissue culture outside the body. In 2020, the U.S. food tech company Eat Just became the first in the world to receive approval from the Singapore government to sell cultured meat, and in December of the same year, the company began selling the product.
Cultured meat is also gaining attention in the food and beverage industry, and in a September 2022 survey of U.S. chefs conducted by Censuswide, a U.K.-based market research consulting firm, 86% said they were open to offering cultured meat. Many chefs are also considering adding cultured meat to their regular menus, and the food and beverage industry is eagerly awaiting the market entry of cultured meat.
Unlike conventional meat, cultured meat does not require large areas of land or water used in the livestock growing process, does not require killing livestock, and has a low impact on the global environment. It also has many other advantages, such as low risk of food poisoning and a long shelf life. As a healthier meat option with a lower environmental impact, it is estimated that 30% of the world’s meat consumption will be cultured meat by 2040.
The Israeli food tech company “SuperMeat”, which has attracted attention for its production of cultured chicken meat with nutritional value comparable to that of conventional chicken meat, has opened a restaurant where visitors can taste cultured meat prepared while watching it being produced through a glass window. The facility also offers the world’s first cultured meat blind tasting, and many people have commented that the company’s cultured chicken meat is almost indistinguishable from conventional chicken meat.
Currently, more than 100 companies in 23 countries are working on cultured meat development, and technological development of cultured meat is advancing rapidly in Japan as well, with NISSIN FOODS HOLDINGS CO., LTD. announcing in March 2022 that it has succeeded in producing “edible cultured meat” for the first time in Japan. Although cultured meat is still unfamiliar in Japan, it may not be long before it is available in the market.
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[Reference site] SuperMeat
[Reference Site] Japan’s First! Success in Creation of “Cultured Meat for Eating” Advancing Toward Practical Application of “Cultured Steak Meat” with Original Taste and Texture of Meat
