SINGAPORE - Lab-grown chicken will soon be available in restaurants for the first time after winning the green light from Singapore regulators.

US start-up Eat Just said Wednesday that its meat, created from animal cells and produced in bioreactors, had been approved for sale in the city-state as an ingredient in chicken bites.

It said in a statement the news marked a "breakthrough for the global food industry", as it seeks to find less environmentally harmful ways of producing meat.

Meat consumption is projected to increase over 70 percent by 2050, according to Eat Just, and experts have frequently warned it is a key driver of climate change.

"I'm sure that our regulatory approval for cultured meat will be the first of many in Singapore and in countries around the globe," said Josh Tetrick, co-founder and CEO of Eat Just.

"Working in partnership with the broader agriculture sector and forward-thinking policymakers, companies like ours can help meet the increased demand for animal protein as our population climbs to 9.7 billion by 2050."

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The company said it had conducted over 20 production runs in 1,200 liter bioreactors, and checks on safety and quality showed its "cultured" product -- the term for meat grown in labs from animal cells -- met food standards.

The meat was approved by the Singapore Food Agency, the city-state's regulator, after an extensive safety review, Eat Just said.

© Agence France-Presse

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