57
Israeli cultivated meat company Aleph Farms has received regulatory clearance to sell its thin-cut beef steaks in Singapore, with plans to introduce the product to the market in the first half of 2027.
The company is working with contract development and manufacturing partner Cell Agritech and intends to launch through select restaurant partners once commercial production batches are being produced in Singapore.
Chief executive Didier Toubia explained that initial output will come from Singapore, with Cell Agritech’s larger facility in Penang, Malaysia, ready to support expanded volumes as consumer demand increases.
Technology transfer is currently in progress at both Cell Agritech in Singapore and The Cultured Hub in Switzerland, with both production lines expected to become operational during 2027. While discussions with foodservice partners in Singapore are active, the company is not yet ready to disclose specific names.
Although Aleph Farms received clearance to sell its steaks in Israel back in 2023, the company has chosen to prioritise other markets first. Toubia noted that the decision to focus on launching in Singapore and Switzerland aligns with their strategy of building production capacity alongside local partners and securing necessary approvals in those regions.
On the financial front, Toubia believes that the fundamental questions surrounding cost, scalability, and product quality in cultivated meat production have largely been resolved.
We are excited to share with you
This FREE E-Book of 50 Agritech Pioneers & Their Game Changing Innovations.
Download the Ebook now
The current challenges, he said, involve developing the right models and partnerships to navigate the initial scale-up phase and achieve profitability within the next two to three years, as well as establishing shorter and clearer regulatory pathways to accelerate market access for validated products.
The company recently reduced its team size following a decision to shift production in Israel from its pilot facility to third-party operators. Toubia confirmed this move represents a more capital-efficient path to scaling operations compared to building and operating proprietary plants, and reflects a structural change rather than a reduction in activity or ambition.
Aleph Farms has also modified its core production platform to produce whole-cut beef steaks with fewer steps and lower costs. The company has eliminated a separate bioreactor step, instead triggering cells to partially differentiate into fat and muscle within the first bioreactor by altering the media composition. The cells are then harvested and added to a plant-protein matrix. This streamlined process has significantly reduced both production steps and costs.
Read Also: $40m Olam Pasta Factory Opens in Ghana to Boost Local Production and Food Security
The company is currently raising growth capital to support the next phase of scale-up. Chief technology officer Neta Lavon explained that the firm relies on validated bioreactor designs and sizes to reduce risk and improve scalability, rather than pursuing unproven larger formats. A techno-economic analysis has indicated that profitability is achievable using non-modified, non-GMO cells with existing equipment.
Looking at the broader picture, Toubia highlighted the enduring appeal of cultivated meat in terms of food security and supply chain resilience.
He pointed to recent global disruptions, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, escalating tariffs, and instability in the Gulf, all of which have exposed vulnerabilities in long, concentrated supply chains.
Cultivated foods, he argued, help address these issues by enabling protein production closer to demand and diversifying production across geographies, thereby reducing exposure to such shocks.
