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 across the region. Sam has a background in diplomacy, food systems and international trade, and has a keen interest in environmental and social justice. Sam lives in Melbourne, Australia and travels and works widely across Asia.
Carmen is the Senior Policy Specialist for GFI APAC, supporting government, regional, and multilateral partner engagement to advance the alternative protein sector across the region. She brings over 15 years of experience as a Mexican diplomat, with a focus on international relations, development assistance (aid), and foreign policy. Her career includes postings across Asia-Pacific and the Middle East and multilateral roles at the United Nations. Carmen holds a PhD in Political Science from the Australian National University, with academic training in economics, international relations, and public policy. Multilingual and adept in cross-cultural engagement, she helps shape policy that is locally grounded, globally informed, and designed for lasting impact. Carmen is based in Australia.
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. Before joining GFI APAC, Rodrigo spent six years at the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), where he developed global campaigns to raise awareness of the biodiversity and climate crises. Rodrigo also has experience in the advertising industry, having worked agency-side to develop brand and digital marketing strategies for clients across various sectors, including food. Rodrigo lives 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 van Emden provides administrative support to GFI APAC’s CEO. With a background in business administration, Karolien brings a strong foundation in project management to the team. Prior to GFI, she worked primarily in software development as a team coach, facilitator, and manager. Her main focus was enhancing team performance, processes, and overall collaboration. In addition to her job, she participated in various volunteering activities, including supporting refugees integrating into the Netherlands. Karolien lives 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.
Check out this exclusive article by Camilla Roberts, CEO of SCALE IMPACT, who explores how innovative government incentives can close the funding gap for first-of-a-kind (FOAK) manufacturing facilities in alternative protein production. By adopting flexible and tailored financing models, we can overcome the challenges of high-risk capital projects and secure a sustainable future for food production.
We asked leading APAC industry experts how they managed to successfully navigate this thicket of potential hurdles.
The article highlights the growing cultivated meat market in Korea and the need for continued R&D.
In part two of our new scale-up series, we highlight the importance of finding the right market for your product at every stage of growth.
The first article in our new monthly Scale-Up Series, written in collaboration with our friends at the Good Food Institute Europe and the Good Food Institute, is a must-read for anyone passionate about the alternative protein sector! To help startups navigate this complex journey, we've outlined four crucial strategic questions that can guide their path to success.
While cultivated meat is not yet cleared for commercial sale, Korean regulators began accepting approval applications earlier this year. Shortly afterwards, the nation celebrated the opening of the Gyeongbuk Cell-Cultivated Foods Regulatory-Free Special Zone, which will soon be home to nearly a dozen cultivated meat companies.
To help startups better navigate choppy waters, we spoke to founders and investors to see how they are responding to recent market challenges.
History has shown that the longer countries wait to invest in the technologies of the future, the harder it is to ever catch up. Asia-Pacific governments and companies clearly see an opportunity to dominate the future of food production and are waving that flag proudly on the global stage.
“By ramping up distribution of plant-based meat through hospitals, governments can empower local manufacturers to scale up their operations, drive down costs through economies of scale, and make healthier, more sustainable foods more affordable for all consumers,” says GFI APAC's Mirte Gosker.
In a recent study released by GFI APAC, "consumers were unequivocal that what they are truly craving is protein diversity, not wholesale replacement," says Senior Communications Manager Ryan Huling. "That’s an audience worth speaking more directly to."
This report examines current and projected rates of plant-based meat adoption, health motivations, high- and low-interest consumer segments, and sentiments on new categories like blended meat. With this roadmap in hand, industry stakeholders can more strategically satisfy consumer demand and capitalise on Southeast Asia’s position as a global protein producer.
Samuel works closely with governments and civil society to establish an enabling regulatory and policy environment for the alternative protein sector. Prior to joining GFI, Samuel worked for over nine years in government affairs and public policy, including at the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), where he developed national policies to safeguard food safety and security. Samuel holds a master’s degree in environmental management from the University of Queensland and a bachelor’s in microbiology from the Queensland University of Technology. Samuel lives in Singapore.
GFI APAC Managing Director Mirte Gosker spoke about how Singapore is scaling up cultivated meat production through international collaborations, and GFI Israel VP of Strategy and Policy Alla Voldman-Rantzer noted, “A platform that is funded by the government is probably the only way that one could put companies, industry partners, and academic groups together to work on collaborative R&D budgets.”
Everything you need to know about the alternative protein ecosystem in APAC.
Consumers in Europe have “made clear” through demand and sales that they want the plant-based foods category to succeed, said Ms Mirte Gosker, Managing Director of alternative protein think-tank Good Food Institute Asia Pacific.
GFI APAC Managing Director Mirte Gosker was featured in an article discussing the recent conclusions drawn by Sharia law scholars in Saudi Arabia on halal certification requirements for cultivated meat products. Excerpt: “This week’s ruling provides much-needed insight on what an approval roadmap might look like, and we expect that startups will immediately begin adapting their production processes to satisfy this new guidance.”
