Cultivated meat could satisfy soaring global protein demand while dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the spread of zoonotic diseases such as avian flu. One challenge is that, instead of sharing relevant scientific discoveries, too many companies keep them under lock and key, which imperils the entire sector.
Vidya Nair leads operations for GFI APAC, ensuring the organisation has the systems, processes, and financial discipline needed to support its mission. She works closely with the CEO and leadership team to strengthen operational strategy across people & culture, finance, governance, and organisational planning. Her role focuses on building resilient internal systems that enable teams across the region to operate effectively, scale sustainably, and collaborate with GFI’s global network. She also supports regional planning, resource allocation, and cross-country alignment to help advance the development and adoption of alternative proteins across Asia Pacific. She is based in Gurugram, India.
In early February, I was invited to visit a discreet industrial building just outside Beijing’s historic city center. What I saw inside has the potential to radically restructure the global food system.
Victoria Law leads the compliance and governance oversight across the Asia Pacific region at GFI APAC. Working closely with regional leadership, legal counsel, and programmatic teams, she helps ensure that GFI APAC’s operations meet applicable regulatory requirements and align with strong governance practices across multiple jurisdictions. She supports the organisation’s regional growth by coordinating compliance frameworks, risk management processes, and entity governance across APAC offices and teams. She is based in Atlanta, USA.
Researchers in Singapore have warned that unless Asia diversifies its protein supply, the region cannot meet its carbon emissions goals. Recognising this, China has responded by investing hundreds of millions of dollars in “biomanufacturing” through its State Development & Investment Corp to become a sustainable protein supplier to the world.
A team of GFI APAC staffers recently travelled across China to see with our own eyes what the country’s major biomanufacturing push means for Singapore and the future of Asia’s protein supply. What we saw only further solidified our confidence that China will play a decisive role in the long-term success of the future-food sector.
A mere 12 months ago, our experts published a look ahead at 2025 and outlined five reasons to be hopeful about APAC’s alternative protein sector, based on changes we expected to see over the course of the year. So how’d we do?
The Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia, JAKIM), through its National Muzakarah Committee, released a fatwa stating that cultivated meat is permissible under Islamic law if certain conditions are met.
Just hours ago, a series of high-profile sessions focused on scaling up sustainable foods concluded at COP30—the United Nations Climate Change Conference—in Belém, Brazil, where negotiators from more than 190 countries are working through the night to forge consensus on which climate fixes to fund.
Since 2019, Grace has been engaged in the alternative protein industry of multinational investment, regulatory alignment for novel food ingredients, and related efforts. In recent years, she has dedicated herself to business development and strategic growth of the alternative protein industry in China.
To objectively measure whether or not the newest crop of products that combine animal meat and high-quality plant proteins were close to reaching taste parity with their conventional counterparts, GFI APAC partnered with NECTAR and commissioned A*STAR's SIFBI to conduct Asia’s first independent, large-scale blind taste test.
Dive into highly anticipated results from Asia’s first sensory study of products that combine conventional animal proteins with high-quality plant proteins, and discover the strategic opportunity the category presents for the food industry.
Global alternative protein stakeholders would be wise to keep a close eye on the bioeconomies of Thailand, Vietnam, and Australia, where analysts say abundant raw materials, forward-thinking public policies, or a synergy of both, have the potential to supercharge fermentation-derived food production.
As the alternative protein sector matures, one question keeps coming up: are these products optimally nourishing us? Hear from leading scientists across Singapore, India, China, and Australia as they dive into their cutting-edge research on alternative protein nutrition, spanning topics such as biofortification, bioavailability, fermentation, and more.
Later this month, Singaporean shoppers browsing the meat aisle will start to see new options that are neither fully plant- or animal-based, but rather, animal meat enhanced with plant proteins.
The Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein @NUS further expanded its influence by announcing a new grant opportunity jointly funded with Enterprise Singapore (ESG), which will offer startups a premier slot on stage at Singapore International Agri-Food Week (SIAW) and the opportunity to secure 150,000 SGD in cash.
This joint report by The Good Food Institute APAC and Altruistic Innovations explores the landscape of food technologies used in plant-based meat and mycoprotein-based products, with a focus on how innovative processing and formulation strategies can enhance nutritional outcomes. Using published research, product claims, and technical disclosures, the report utilises a scoring matrix to evaluate how each strategy improves digestibility, completeness, bioavailability, or functional nutrient delivery, and where further opportunities exist.
Earlier this year, China reaffirmed protein diversification as a central tenet of its national food strategy. Now, analysis by GFI has shined the spotlight on another indicator of China’s long-term commitment to food security: its assertive pursuit of global cultivated meat patents.
Whether you’re a scientist, engineer, policy professional, university student or recent graduate, the alt protein field offers a range of impactful career opportunities aligned with your background.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) officially announced Australia’s first-ever approval of a cultivated meat product, opening up a potentially lucrative new market for the cellular agriculture sector and setting an important precedent for global regulators.
Sam leads strategy work across Asia to set innovative and ambitious targets that expand GFI’s impact and presence. Sam identifies opportunities across the APAC region, and within the global network to position alternative proteins within national priorities, and advance the growth of alternative proteins throughout Asia. Sam has also led GFI's expansion into new geographies, and works to embed a regionally effective strategic approach to alternative protein resourcing and prioritisation. Sam remains a global champion for alternative proteins within multialteral fora. Sam is based between Melbourne, Australia and Bangkok, Thailand. He travels and works widely across Asia.
Daphne focuses on optimising finance operations for GFI APAC, enabling our team to create greater impact. Previously, as Director of Finance at a leading think tank in Singapore, she led two restructurings, improving efficiency through automation. She was integral in its CRM system and PDPA policy implementation. Daphne's private sector experience includes standardising accounting frameworks and managing financial operations in Vietnam and Cambodia. She also served as an associate consultant for a non-profit’s strategic review. A Certified Management Accountant (CMA) with an MBA, Daphne is a thoughtful, detailed and practical problem-solver. Daphne is based in Singapore.
Our State of the Industry reports are an annual deep dive into the global alt protein sector. The latest edition of the series compiles business developments, policy updates, and scientific breakthroughs from 2024 that are advancing the field and shaping a world where alternative proteins are no longer alternative.
“By driving more patient capital from the National Reconstruction Fund and other entities into alternative protein development, government leaders could further support domestic plant-based and cultivated meat startups, scale up local manufacturing capacity, and establish Australia as the premier exporter of high-quality, sustainable protein,” says GFI APAC Managing Director Mirte Gosker.
Rodrigo leads GFI APAC’s communications work, directly shaping how the world views and interacts with Asia’s fast-growing alternative protein sector. Drawing insights from GFI's subject matter experts, Rodrigo identifies high-impact opportunities to reach and engage both existing and potential science, policy, and industry stakeholders across communications touchpoints, using audience-centric, locally relevant narratives. Rodrigo is based in Singapore.
In part four of our series supporting startups, we explore how best to implement a scaling strategy that can maximise chances of delivering long-term profitability.
Australian APP chapters have been making big waves on campus. At the University of New South Wales, students organised a barbecue event to introduce their peers to plant-based meat and toured Vow’s production facility to explore the latest advancements in cultivated meat technology. And at the University of Melbourne, they recently hosted a symposium titled “Alternative Proteins: Where Are We Going?”
Weilong leads our fundraising efforts by building strong relationships with donors and driving support for GFI APAC’s mission. With over 14 years of experience cultivating strategic partnerships and executing impactful fundraising initiatives, he has helped secure significant funding for causes in education and social services. Weilong's expertise spans strategic donor engagement, community impact, and innovative fundraising, and he continuously fosters a culture of philanthropy and social responsibility. Weilong lives in Singapore.
Achieving price, taste, and nutrition parity between alternative proteins and conventional meat is a non-negotiable factor for market success, and strategic public investments are central to hitting that goal.
Many of the products out on the market right now do not hit taste parity nor nutrition parity but do require a premium price. That is not a very attractive proposition for a consumer. We need government support in getting there.
Karolien helps GFI APAC run smoothly and effectively as the Chief of Staff, working closely with the CEO and VP of Strategy to turn big ideas into tangible impact. She keeps cross-functional projects on track, supports team leads in their goals, and strengthens collaboration across departments. Acting as a trusted partner and sounding board, she ensures the organisation is well-prepared to meet challenges and seize opportunities in advancing the alternative protein sector. Karolien is based in Singapore.
GFI’s land use analysis highlights that alternative proteins require 50 to 90% less land than conventional animal proteins, offering significant opportunities for carbon sequestration and ecosystem restoration. That potential is huge, especially for APAC, home to 19% of the world's forests and 32% of global wetlands. Could this be a game-changer for China and Southeast Asia? Read our latest blog on the study’s implications for APAC.
In part three of our scale-up series, we explore the best way to plan and build a rock-solid team for your startup, and set the company up for success.
In a competitive business environment, scaling up effectively is crucial for long-term success. This complex process involves careful planning, partnerships, and infrastructure investments. This article explores insights from industry experts on key factors that drive growth and expansion.
Creating a new category needs marketing to generate consumer demand. A great product is ineffective if consumers are unaware of it. Marketing shapes consumer perception of the product, company, and category. We consulted industry experts for insights on marketing in this sector.
Understanding a new market or launching a product is challenging, especially in the early-stage alternative protein sector. We spoke with top industry experts to learn from their successful go-to-market strategies in this emerging category.
