Korea overtakes Singapore as APAC’s cultivated meat startup epicentre + four other takeaways from GFI’s new reports

Singapore, the regional leader in cultured meat for over five years, was overtaken by South Korea in late 2025, according to calculations by the Good Food Institute (GFI). South Korea now ranks fourth globally in this sector, behind the United States, Israel, and the United Kingdom. This shift is driven by two major initiatives from the South Korean government: the opening in 2027 of a cultured meat research center in North Gyeongsang, supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, and the passage in December 2025 of a law promoting food technologies, including a regulatory framework for plant-based and cultured foods. Furthermore, international companies such as the Chinese supplier JSBio plan to invest in South Korea, with the construction of a cell culture medium plant in Busan. Meanwhile, Singapore, despite having approved the world’s first cultured duck product, is refocusing its strategy on international research and regulation.

Source: Korea overtakes Singapore as APAC’s cultivated meat startup epicentre + four other takeaways from GFI’s new reports