Prime Highlights:

• The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) has awarded SGD 42 million to 11 alternative protein and food-tech projects, aiming to boost innovation and sustainable food solutions.
• Projects funded under this programme will strengthen Singapore’s food system and position the country as a global leader in sustainable food innovation.

Key Facts:

• Funding includes support for the Centre for Precision Fermentation and Sustainability (PreFerS) to turn research into market-ready products.
• Collaborative projects from NUS and various biotech companies will develop systems to test the safety and functionality of cell-based and fermentation-derived foods.

Background:

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) has announced a significant investment of SGD 42 million (approximately USD 32.3 million) to support 11 alternative protein and food-technology projects under the second phase of its Singapore Food Story R&D programme.

The funded projects were selected through two grant initiatives. The Second Future Foods Grant Call focuses on developing innovative solutions to improve the nutrition, flavour, and functionality of alternative proteins. The Food Safety Grant Call funds research using non-animal methods to test the safety of new food products.

The Centre for Precision Fermentation and Sustainability (PreFerS) also received extra funding to turn its research into products that can be sold. Established by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Singapore’s National Research Foundation, PreFerS aims to accelerate sustainable production of high-value ingredients, including functional proteins and healthy lipids.

The National University of Singapore (NUS) is leading a Future Foods project to enhance the flavour, nutritional profile, and functional properties of microalgae biomass for food applications. A team from NUS, Umami Bioworks, Meatiply, Sciex, ID Labs, and AIM Biotech got funding to build a system that tests if new lab-grown and fermented foods are safe.

Other projects funded under the programme include research on allergenicity and immunotoxicity of precision fermentation proteins, as well as a toxicokinetic and safety platform for assessing small-molecule additives in cultivated meat.

Ning Hoon Tong, Senior Director of the Science and Technology division at SFA, highlighted the importance of ongoing research investment. “As the global food system becomes more complex, investing in new food research is very important,” he said. “These projects will make our food system stronger and show that Singapore leads in sustainable food innovation.”

With this funding, Singapore is building its role as a global hub for safe and sustainable food solutions.

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