NEW TECH FOODS

South Korea is set to inaugurate its first research centre dedicated to cultivated meat. This initiative, backed by a public investment of approximately ₩14.5 billion (around $10 million), aims to bolster the country's position as a leader in food technology.

The Food Tech Research Support Center, to be located within the Uiseong Bio Valley General Industrial Complex, will span a total area of 2,663 square metres.

This facility is part of a broader strategy orchestrated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) to enhance the development of innovative food technologies in South Korea. The center is expected to commence operations in 2027.

The newly established centre will serve multiple functions, including:

• Infrastructure development: It will provide essential support for the mass cultivation of cell-cultured foods, including the construction of prototype production facilities.

  
  

• Regulatory assistance: The centre will facilitate the safety evaluation and licensing processes necessary for the commercialisation of cultivated meat products.

  
  

• Corporate collaboration: By fostering partnerships with local companies, the centre aims to create a robust ecosystem for the commercialisation of cell-cultured foods.

  
  

According to Mirte Gosker, managing director of the Good Food Institute (GFI) APAC, the establishment of this centre marks a pivotal step in South Korea's food tech landscape. “Understanding that future food development is big business, Uiseong County submitted a successful bid to MAFRA to host this new facility as a means of boosting its local economy,” she stated.

The centre will not only serve local enterprises but is also expected to attract international interest. Eleven companies, including notable names like SeaWith and Micro Digital, have already expressed intentions to establish operations within the facility. Collaborative efforts with academic institutions, such as Yeungnam University, will further enhance research capabilities in cellular agriculture.

Lee Chul-woo, governor of North Gyeongsang Province, noted the importance of this initiative, describing cellular agriculture as “an innovative solution for the sustainable future food industry.” He noted that the center would provide a vital infrastructure that could propel Gyeongbuk to the forefront of the Korean food tech industry.

This initiative is part of a larger framework to develop food tech capabilities within the region. North Gyeongsang Province has previously been designated as a special zone for cell culture food regulation, which has laid the groundwork for empirical research and technological advancements in the field.

In addition to cultivated meat, the region is also focusing on advancements in food robotics, with a separate support centre planned for the city of Pohang. These efforts align with national strategies to promote alternative proteins and improve food system efficiency.

As South Korea ramps up its investment in novel food technologies, the regulatory landscape is also evolving. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has established a framework for the approval of cultivated meat products, with public sentiment indicating strong consumer interest; recent polling suggests that 90% of Koreans are open to trying cultivated meat.

Gosker notes that the regulatory approval process for cultivated meat products is expected to advance significantly in 2025, with several start-ups, including CellMEAT and Simple Planet – which recently announced its development of a serum-free cell culture medium derived from probiotics recycling – already in the pipeline for approval.