Yet another lab-grown protein company is flying in Singapore, the third in three years

Singapore’s appetite for alternative meat appears to be waning, with another lab-grown meat company biting the dust.

Cultured meat company Avant Proteins is closing its operations in Singapore, reported a notice in the Singapore Government Gazette.

The marine cell research company announced on Jan 30 that it will voluntarily close its business here because of its debts.

Alternative proteins are foods that have the same taste, texture, and experience as animal products that consumers love—just made in different ways. They include plant-based foods, cultured (lab-grown) meats or by-products from fermentation.

Avant Proteins is a research firm founded in 2018 by Hong Kong-based Avant, which calls itself the first aquaculture company in Asia. The first had the goals of producing fish meat without killing it.

As of Feb 10, the Hong Kong company, Avant Meats Company, is still a private company limited by shares, according to the Hong Kong Companies Registry.

Avant Proteins’ move to Singapore is the latest of at least three lab-grown meat companies that have struggled to scale operations in the Republic, years after it made global headlines in 2020 as the first country to legalize the sale of cultured meat.

Cultured meat is made by growing animal cells in bioreactors, a process similar to brewing beer.

This method is considered more humane and sustainable than traditional farming, using less land and less labor.

However, the sector has faced challenges since 2023, struggling to grow due to difficulties in selling technology, high costs, and uncertain consumer demand.

Avant founder Carrie Chan said The Straits Times in 2024 that investors were “more conservative” due to economic conditions.

“Some think (this sector) is very challenging, and they shouldn’t invest in anything in the early stages of revenue as the technology involved would be difficult to scale quickly,” Chan said at the time.

A check on the website of the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority found that Avant Biotechnology was still live, while Avant Protein was closed, as of Feb 11.

A short life in Singapore

After settling in Hong Kong in 2018, Avant revealed plans in 2021 to expand to Singapore by opening a research lab in collaboration with A*STAR’s Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI).

The lab was launched to scale up the production of food-grade fish seeds and fish maw.

UA *STAR revealed that the collaboration was completed as planned two years later, Avant established its own testing facility in Woodlands.

“Through this project, A*STAR BTI and Avant Meats gained valuable information about upstream bioprocessing, production challenges and scaling considerations,” it said.

According to its latest LinkedIn report, Avant then consolidated operations at its Woodlands testing facility, noting that it contributed to educating the public about the future of animal proteins.

The post also highlighted that the company commercialized skin care technology using cultured fish cells and continued to develop its cultured fish products to be approved by the Singapore Food Agency.

However, as of Feb. 11, the Avant Meats website—which featured both its skin care line and lab-grown meat—is offline, although its skincare technology site is still up.

Restaurants are removing plant-based meats from their menus due to high costs and low demand

Once a prominent menu item, plant-based meat dishes have quietly disappeared from several restaurants, while others have reduced their selections or moved to optional add-ons at a higher price, said a. Channel News Asia report.

Global demand for plant-based meat saw the sharpest rise between 2018 and 2020. During this time, many casual dining chains, even Asian restaurants, jumped on the trend, including “Impossible” plant-based meat options on their menus.

Experts have linked this attack to a combination of factors: aggressive marketing, increased consumer interest in health-conscious and sustainable foods, and, in Singapore, the government’s focus on alternative proteins to strengthen food security.

They also noted that the appeal of plant-based meats decreased once the novelty wore off. The taste and texture improvements lag behind expectations and struggle to justify their high prices.

Instead of imitating meat, some restaurants are shifting to a focus on whole foods, plant-based options.

For example, vegan burger eatery Veganburg emphasized whole-food vegan patties rather than highly processed meat substitutes. Its director of operations, Blessed Chee, noted that the store has dropped Impossible’s plant-based meat due to cost considerations.

A 340g pack of Impossible ground beef retails for S$12.12 while 1kg of real ground beef costs S$11.35 on the Fairprice website.

Is the meat planted in the same direction to flop?

Previously, California-based Eat Just had set up its cultured meat production in Singapore, while local company Shiok Meats merged with Singapore-based Umami Bioworks, a marine cell culture specialist.

For years, companies have promised that commercial lab-grown meat is just around the corner, but repeated missed product launches and setbacks have eroded investor confidence in the space. From 2024 to 2025, total investment in the farmed meat industry dropped by 74 percent, from $139 million to $36 million.

Only time will tell if lab-grown meat will follow in the footsteps of plant-based meat or chart a course for its eventual presence here in Singapore.

• Read other articles we’ve written about Singapore businesses here.

Featured Image Credit: Avant Proteins