South Korea’s cultivated meat sector is gaining significant traction, with 33 startups now involved in the industry, including key players like Simple Planet, SeaWith, CellQua and TissenBioFarm. The rise of these companies is bolstered by the newly established Bio Future Food Industry Association, a dedicated cultivated meat council designed to promote growth, streamline regulations, and raise public awareness.
Source: Tissen BioFarm - Cell based meat
The cultivated meat landscape in Korea is supported by innovation hubs like the Regulation-Free Special Zone in Gyeongsangbuk-do, where companies benefit from relaxed regulatory restrictions to speed up development.
Startups in this space, such as Simple Planet, have made significant strides by developing low-cost serum-free culture mediums, which is expected to lower the cost of production. This helps address one of the primary concerns for South Korean consumers that being price.
Source: SimplePlanet - Cell cultivated meat
Public engagement is another focus, with surveys showing that 90% of Koreans are willing to try cultivated meat, though affordability remains a key factor in its widespread adoption.
Simple Planet Co-founder & CEO Dominic Jeong (shown left), says his company is currently preparing documents for regulatory approval in Korea. " As the chairman of the Bio Future Food Industry Council, I will guide discussions with regulatory bodies to enhance policies, vitalise the industry, and establish a solid base for the bio-future food sector", says Dominic Jeong.
Efforts by the council and companies like Simple Planet aim to educate consumers about the environmental and sustainability benefits, as well as the role of cultivated meat in securing future food sources.
With plans for global expansion and increasing investment from both private companies and government initiatives, South Korea is positioning itself as a major player in the global cultivated meat industry. The coming years will likely see these startups push cultivated meat into the mainstream, with companies like Simple Planet leading the charge toward commercialisation.
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