It can be seen the trend of licensing and using cultured meat is one of the great changes on the meat market that Vietnamese enterprises must actively understand to adapt. Photo nld.com.vn

HÀ NỘI — The production of lab-grown, or cultured, meat is a rising trend in the global food market. Việt Nam's meat industry may face competition from this emerging and controversial sector in the future, according to experts.

The US recently allowed cultured meat to sell on the market, while Singapore permitted the commercial sale of cultured meat three years ago.

The US is the second country in the world, after Singapore, to allow the commercial sale of cultured meat.

EU pork consumption in the next two years is expected to fall to its lowest level in more than two decades. Pork production in this region will decrease by about one-tenth.

Data from Grand View Research shows that the global cultured meat market is expected to grow at an annual rate of 51.6 per cent during the period of 2023-2030, VnBusiness online newspaper reported.

Experts said that domestic enterprises in the meat production industry need to pay attention to the changing trends of consumers regarding meat products around the world.

Domestic meat-producing enterprises must have a strategy to meet consumer demand or accept being left behind by the competition.

According to global experts, the development of cultured meat is the only way to satisfy the increasing meat demand of consumers without destroying the environment.

The global market's meat demand is expected to double between now and 2050 when the world's population is estimated to surpass nine billion people. 

Vũ Kim Hạnh, chairwoman of the Business Association of High-Quality Vietnamese Products, recommends that Vietnamese firms prepare to participate in the race of developing this kind of meat.

Hạnh said the world is undergoing a big switch from animal to cultured meat. Global statistics underline the necessity of Việt Nam's meat production industry to change according to the new consumer trends.

Domestic meat producers will have to take the initiative to both learn from the experiences of the world and grasp new trends to create a competitive edge.

Vĩnh Hoàn, Việt Nam's leading enterprise in the export of basa fish, poured capital into Shiok Meats (Singapore), the first company in Southeast Asia to specialise in cultured meat and seafood production, reported Diễn đàn doanh nghiệp (Business Forum) newspaper.

The fast-food chain KFC has also started selling fried cultured chicken provided by Beyond Meat Company. KFC currently has more than 20,000 restaurants in 109 countries and territories worldwide. 

In Việt Nam, KFC has more than 140 restaurants in 21 major cities and provinces. Thus, the appearance of cultured meat in Việt Nam is only a matter of time.

There is currently no penetration of cultured meat into Việt Nam as there are still many challenges related to technology for production, especially on a large scale. 

However, even if cultured meat cannot replace real meat, it will inevitably become a product line on the local market. It will be a challenge for Việt Nam's livestock industry which is already facing many difficulties.

Nguyễn Thị Xuân Yến, head of sustainable development and innovation of the Centre for Business Research and Support (BSA), pointed out that global consumers pay attention to products that display sustainability for the environment and communities. 

The domestic livestock industry needs to develop standards and guidelines on biosafety breeding for both farms and households, according to Tống Xuân Chinh, deputy director of the Department of Livestock Production, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

It is necessary to identify biosafety as a core factor for the sustainable development of the livestock industry. The Department of Livestock Production offers solutions to apply science and technology to livestock development, such as selection and development of breeding, food processing and animal lodging. There is also the application of modern technology to effectively treat and utilise waste for improving environmental standards in livestock production.

The livestock industry will focus on applying modern technology in slaughtering and processing products to improve value, in line with the needs of the domestic consumption and export markets, said Chinh. — VNS