Ukraine should monitor development of world market of alternative meat, be ready to reorient its production

KYIV. Oct 5 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine could potentially lose its export positions in the meat markets in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa and Europe, if the project of the American company Eat Just to build a laboratory for the production of artificial meat near Doha (Qatar) is successfully developed.

The need for Ukraine to observe the development of the alternative meat market, and a possible reorientation of domestic meat production was noted by the president of the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club association, Alex Lissitsa, on Facebook.

"Eat Just, which has a U.S. representative office and chicken nuggets production in Singapore, has signed a project for more than $200 million with the Qatar Venture Fund to build a laboratory for the production of artificial meat near the city of Doha. This is a significant event for the world as a whole and for Ukraine in particular," he wrote on the social network.

According to Lissitsa, Eat Just has already received a license to export alternative meat, and is ready to start production in the near future. The enterprise will be able to produce tens of thousands of tonnes of alternative meat in Qatar, which will allow the company to capture the market in the Arabian Peninsula and Northern Africa in a period of three years.

"If they receive a license to export to the EU, this will, in principle, completely change the situation on the market. And Ukraine can potentially lose on a global scale, because we export a significant amount of meat and basic grain crops to Saudi Arabia, to Northern Africa and to Europe," he stressed, noting the need for Ukraine to monitor the Eat Just laboratory and be ready to reorient the production and supply of meat.

Singapore reportedly allowed the American startup Eat Just to sell lab-grown chicken in December 2020. This is the world’s first permit for the so-called "clean" meat not obtained from slaughtered animals.

Unlike plant-based meat substitutes, which are made from ingredients such as soybeans, in vitro meat, "cellular" or "grown" meat is made from animal cells grown in test tubes. Investors in such projects are attracted by the fact that the result is real meat, but without killing animals or damaging the environment.

The global market for alternative meat, eggs, dairy and seafood may reach at least $290 billion by 2035, according to a study by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Blue Horizon Corporation. Under the baseline scenario, the market for alternative proteins will grow from the current 13 million tonnes to 97 million tonnes by 2035 and will account for 11% of the total protein market.