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.
References:
Ackers, K., Gruchy, H.
de, Thomas, H., Worsley, S., & Nolet, S. (2019, September 12). What Does
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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
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food: Growing meat in lab to help meet supply needs. The Straits Times.
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(2019, June 20). Is Cultured Meat The Answer To The World's Meat Problem?
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