Shiok Meats is a unique company in Asia’s emerging alternative food industry, as it focuses on shrimp, lobster, and crab.
A Singaporean startup that makes lab-cultured seafood has been named winner of the inaugural Nikkei Asia Award for its unique technology and potential benefit to society.
Founded in 2018, Shiok Meats is a unique company in Asia’s emerging alternative food industry, as it focuses on shrimp, lobster, and crab. Its products have the potential to contribute to food security as the global population grows. They may also help resolve problems such as overfishing and environmental damage stemming from the construction of fish farms — key issues for Asia.
“We want to use technology to make this world a better place, and to provide sustainable, environment-friendly, cruelty-free, healthy food for everybody,” Shiok Meats CEO Sandhya Sriram told Nikkei Asia in an interview. “I would like no malnutrition, no starvation in the world. Everybody needs to get access to good food. That is the ultimate aim.”
A stem cell scientist, Sriram, 36, was interested in cultured meat technology and co-founded Shiok Meats — shiok means “delicious” in Singaporean slang — with Ling Ka Yi, 34, who serves as the company’s chief technology officer. The two previously worked as scientists at Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research.
Shiok Meats makes minced shrimp, lobster and crab, but the products have yet to be commercialized. The lab-grown meat can be used for dishes such as dumplings and spring rolls by mixing it with other ingredients such as pork and chicken. The company hopes to sell its meat to restaurants and to collaborate with food processors to make ready-to-eat products
