NEW TECH FOODS

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) has awarded $32.3 million in research funding to 11 projects under the second phase of the Singapore Food Story R&D Programme, aimed at advancing innovation in future foods and food safety.

The selected projects were funded through two grant calls:

• The Second Future Foods Grant Call, supporting research to improve the nutrition and functionality of alternative protein products.

• The Food Safety Grant Call, which focuses on developing non-animal New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) for assessing the safety of novel foods.

Four projects received funding under the Future Foods Grant Call, while six were awarded under the Food Safety Grant Call.

In addition, the Centre for Precision Fermentation and Sustainability (PreFerS) has received additional funding to accelerate the commercialisation of precision fermentation technologies.

Established in 2024 by the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, PreFerS develops sustainable production methods for high-value ingredients such as lipids and functional proteins.

Among the funded projects is NutriBoost, led by Associate professor Du Juan from the Singapore Institute of Technology, which will use AI and novel food processing to improve the taste and nutrition of alternative protein products.

Another initiative, led by researchers from A*STAR and NUS, will create Singapore’s first database of small molecule additives to accelerate food safety evaluations for novel foods. Lead principal investigator of the project, professor Tan Soo Yong, said the project aims to “set new standards in non-animal food safety”.

Ngin Hoon Tong, senior director of SFA’s Science and Technology Division, said continued R&D investment is key to strengthening Singapore’s food resilience: “These awarded projects represent the next wave of breakthrough technologies that will enhance our food resilience and position Singapore as a leader in sustainable food innovation”.

Top image: © Singapore Food Agency