Best of both worlds: Is blended meat the food of the future?

SINGAPORE – It looks like meat and tastes like meat. But is it meat?

Well, kind of. Meet blended meat, the mid-point between animal flesh and plant-based protein, now touted as a fresh hope for a flailing industry. 

Q Protein, created by local meat distributor Quality Meat and sustainable food production platform Nurasa, is Singapore’s latest commercially available form of blended meat. Launched in supermarkets in October 2025, it comes in four forms – minced chicken, minced beef, beef stir-fry and beef patty – each containing at least 50 per cent animal protein. 

Priced between $5 (400g of minced chicken) and $11.20 (400g of beef stir-fry) on Quality Meat’s website, it is also available online from Amazon Fresh and at 12 Cold Storage outlets, including at Paragon, Nex and Holland Village. 

Though neither fully animal nor plant, these blended products hope to compete with both ends of the spectrum in terms of taste and nutritional value. And industry players are confident they are off to a promising start.

In a 2025 A*STAR survey commissioned by alternative protein think-tank The Good Food Institute Asia Pacific (GFI APAC) and non-profit organisation Nectar, Q Protein’s minced chicken outperformed its animal-based counterpart.

Some 41 per cent of respondents preferred the blended mince, while 29 per cent favoured the animal product. About 30 per cent had no preference. 

A Cold Storage spokesperson says demand for Q Protein has been steadily growing since its retail launch. “While fully plant-based brands still lead in overall volume, Q Protein has seen strong uptake among customers who prefer a meat-like taste and texture with added plant-based benefits.” 

So far so good, but does blended meat stand a better chance of securing mainstream acceptance than other alternative proteins? 

Rise and fall of alternative meat

Around the early 2020s, plant-based meat – typically made with a protein like tofu, tempeh or soya; plant oils; and a vegan binding agent – was red-hot. Supplies were booming, prices dropping, and you could find an Impossible burger on the menu of any self-respecting cafe. 

In the last two to three years, however, demand has wilted. Cold Storage says the alternative protein category grew most significantly between 2020 and 2023, reflecting a period of heightened consumer curiosity about meat alternatives.  

Despite the initial buzz, it never replaced conventional meat.

FairPrice Group has observed a gradual drop in demand for plant-based meat products over the last two to three years. 

Little Farms, meanwhile, discontinued alternative meat brands such as Beyond Meat, Meatless Farm and Arley’s in 2023. “Many products contained additives and highly processed ingredients that did not align with our standards,” says chief executive Joe Stevens, 64. 

Consumer ambivalence has snuffed out the efforts of companies like Ants Innovate, a home-grown food-tech start-up that once tried to peddle its own plant-based meat. In 2022, it launched NouMi, which sold vegan bao, dumplings, bak kwa and curry puffs. 

Dr Ng Shengyong, 41, chief executive of Ants Innovate, says sustainability was not a strong enough draw to keep consumers coming back. “They sold quite well at one-off pop-ups we did, but overall, demand was not there. We realised that two years ago, so we decided to stop because it took a lot of resources to keep that line going.” 

The cultivated meat sector is looking equally grim. In February, The Straits Times reported that Avant Proteins, the research firm of Hong Kong-founded Avant – branded as Asia’s first cultivated fish company – was winding up its business here. 

It follows in the retreating footsteps of lab-grown food companies like Eat Just, which paused production in Singapore in 2024. That year, local firm Shiok Meats merged with Umami Bioworks, a Singapore-based company specialising in marine cell cultivation.

While Huber’s Butchery in Dempsey continues to stock cultivated meat, executive director Andre Huber, 46, says sales have slowed. “Many shoppers are still unfamiliar with cultivated meat and its production process. Some are hesitant to try it due to the general perception of the taste, texture and nutrition value that they have formed of plant-based meats, thinking they are the same.” 

It is a rather anticlimactic end to the giddy optimism of 2020, when Singapore became the first country in the world to approve the sale of cultivated chicken. Progress in this sector has been stymied by technological challenges, lacklustre demand and investment slowdown. 

Above all, it is too expensive to maintain at a commercial level, says Professor Zhou Weibiao, head of the Food Science & Technology department at the National University of Singapore (NUS). 

“When a lab-grown burger was first presented to the public in 2013, it cost over $300,000 to produce,” he says. “Today’s technology can bring the cost on a per kilo basis to below $100, but that still doesn’t mean you can sell it easily.”

At Huber’s Butchery, Good Meat – the brand of cultivated chicken sold by Eat Just – retails at $6 for 100g, nearly double the cost of regular chicken breast, which is priced at $3.10 for 100g. This, Mr Huber says, limits repeat purchases. 

How does blended meat taste?

The only viable option, to Prof Zhou, is hybrid meat. He is acting director of the Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein at NUS, which focuses on creating better-quality hybrid proteins. 

That involves cultivating and processing microbial proteins to boost digestibility, flavour and nutritional value, as well as conducting cell-cultured research, which finds ways to make hybrid meat production more cost-effective. According to GFI APAC, while blended meat typically includes a mix of plant-based and conventional meat, hybrid products combine plant-based and cultivated meat. However, there is no universal consensus on the nomenclature used to describe such combinations. 

“When we were applying for funding for the centre, we made it very clear we believe in only hybrid meat because the experience so far, drawing not only from Singapore, but also globally, indicates it’s unlikely a single material will succeed. It will not be able to meet consumers’ expectations. And when it comes to food, it’s not enough to be high-tech. The taste must be acceptable to consumers,” says Prof Zhou. 

Ms Joey Oh, managing director of Quality Meat, is confident her blended Q Protein products make the cut. Her litmus test was her father, the son of a butcher and a meat lover who is the founder and chief executive of Quality Meat. 

“I feel like if I can convince him, I can convince anyone,” says the 39-year-old. Though he was initially sceptical, warning that she was eating into their business, she managed to trick him into eating an entire bowl of pasta made with Q Protein. 

“He couldn’t tell the difference between this and real meat. But if you were to put vegetables in, he wouldn’t touch the bowl at all.” 

When ST tried Q Protein’s minced chicken, cooked Thai basil-style, it tasted remarkably similar to conventional meat. It had a firm bite and the spices masked any lingering powdery notes sometimes associated with plant-based meat. 

Ms Ma Jie, 36, co-founder of Chengdu Bowl, is full of praise for Q Protein’s minced chicken, which was served at her Ocean Financial Centre outlet in December 2025 as a seasonal offering. 

“It tastes very close to regular chicken – maybe even cleaner. The texture is tender without feeling oily,” she says, adding that it fits seamlessly into the kitchen’s workflow because it cooks just like conventional minced chicken.

It has also earned the approval of consumers like Mr Pedro Vaz Cruz, 45, a fund-raiser. He has tried the minced chicken, minced beef and beef stir-fry, and was impressed by their nutritional density. 

“It lacks the aftertaste of some plant-based alternatives,” he says.

While the presence of meat helps improve the taste, it also leaves hybrid meat stranded in a no-man’s land, aligned with neither meat-eaters nor vegans and vegetarians. 

However, this is a trade-off industry players are willing to accept. 

“The potential market for hybrid meat is much larger. Plant-based meat appeals to a very niche group of customers, only vegans or vegetarians. And even among them, there’s a portion who don’t see the need for plant-based meat because they’ve grown up eating vegetables,” says Dr Ng. 

“Our focus is on meat-eaters. That’s why we’re very focused on biomimicry with meat, because that’s what we feel will convert them,” adds Ms Jennifer Morton, head of corporate engagement at GFI APAC. 

“At the end of the day, we’re doing this for climate benefits. And so we really need to convert the majority of the population, rather than the very few who are vegetarian or vegan.” 

Is blended meat healthier?

Flexitarians – specifically those who want healthier food – are Q Protein’s target audience. It is an added bonus if they are concerned about their carbon footprint, though its team is not banking on climate anxiety precipitating a shift in consumer behaviour. 

“If you do it for the environment, you might be willing to eat this sort of meat a few times, but not every day. But if it solves your health problems and makes you feel guilt-free, then you might be willing to eat this more often,” says Ms Guo Xiuling, 52, chief executive of Nurasa, which is backed by Singapore’s investment company Temasek.

Nutritionists tell ST that hybrid and blended proteins tend to be lower in saturated fat and higher in fibre than conventional meat products, which could improve cardiovascular health. 

“The modified texture enhances ease of mastication and swallowing, making them especially suitable for older adults or individuals with compromised chewing ability,” says Ms Siti Saifa Hussain, a lecturer in Temasek Polytechnic’s diploma in Food, Nutrition & Culinary Science programme. 

But she cautions that the quality of protein in hybrid meat varies according to the type and proportion of plant and animal parts. 

“While the inclusion of plant proteins can enhance the amino acid diversity, some plant sources may have lower digestibility or suboptimal essential amino acid profiles compared with animal protein,” she says. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, and a variety is needed by the body to function properly.

Ms Shania Khialani, a lecturer in Nanyang Polytechnic’s Diploma in Food Science & Nutrition programme, adds: “Overconsumption of hybrid meat may lead to a reduced intake of other healthy food options such as legumes, vegetables and whole grains. There is a possible ‘health halo’ effect, where people feel they have had their vegetable intake through the consumption of hybrid meats.”

Room for improvement

While Q Protein’s minced chicken has earned widespread approval, other cuts have catching up to do. 

In this reporter’s opinion, the brand’s beef patty lacks the juiciness and depth of flavour of real meat.

GFI APAC and Nectar’s 2025 survey likewise found that blended proteins trail animal proteins in every category – including chicken nuggets, beef patties and tuna chunks – save for minced chicken. In some categories like chicken chunks, however, the gap is narrowing.

Overall, 69 to 87 per cent of the 116 participants surveyed favour animal products for taste, price or familiarity, compared with blended proteins, which only 3 to 16 per cent preferred.  

“Minced chicken has an easier structure to mimic than something like a full cut product,” says Ms Morton. “It’s a less texturally complex product, so it’s not surprising it did better.” 

That is not deterring Ants Innovate from trying to develop a whole cut of hybrid meat, though. Dr Ng says: “Whole cuts are what most people buy in the market. Even when people buy smaller cuts, they’re not always buying minced meat. It isn’t what they consume most of the time.”  

Plus, the market is flooded with alternative mince. And thanks to Scalable Micro-Imprinted Lapis Expansion technology, his team has found a way to replicate the fibrous texture of whole meat using plant proteins. So why not seize the opportunity?

The team hopes to collaborate with partners on pilot-scale production as well as organise limited market launches by early 2027.

It is also waiting on regulatory approval for another product, Cell Essence. Derived from cultivated animal cells, it works as a flavouring agent that emulates the taste of different types of meat like pork, beef and seafood. 

No one is expecting blended or hybrid meat to go viral overnight, least of all Ms Oh. “So far, the response has met my expectations, but I feel it’s something that’s going to do well in the long term instead of the short term,” she says. 

She hopes to work with catering companies and overseas supermarkets to achieve the demand needed to scale production. 

The dream, for Ms Morton, is to see the blended meat industry in Singapore hit the highs of Europe’s one day. She cites the Netherlands as an example. The Dutch government has set a target to transition to a 50 per cent plant-based diet by 2030, which supermarkets have rallied behind.

Consequently, many have started offering blended proteins at competitive prices. A 2026 study by the Netherlands-based non-profit Foodvalley found that, on average, such proteins are 4.4 per cent cheaper than meat and dairy.

So, Ms Morton is optimistic about the potential of hybrid meat in Singapore. Her colleague Divya Gandhi, a research specialist at GFI APAC, adds that many of the blended products surveyed were in the midst of development, so the fact that some were still able to compete with commercially available options in terms of taste bodes well.

Prof Zhou is playing the long game too, undaunted by falling investments and the Government’s decision not to include alternative proteins in its short-term food security strategy. He points out that the Singapore Food Agency mentioned in November 2025 that it will press on with efforts in R&D and industry development for this sector.

“I think hybrid meat has a better chance of gaining a foothold in the market than other alternative meats, but there is a timeline. You’re not going to see 500 per cent growth next year,” notes Prof Zhou. It all depends on factors like whether Singapore can maintain a favourable business environment, friendly regulatory framework, and support from the Government and research sector. 

The positive results coming out of Europe certainly help. “I think we should see a substantial increase in terms of venture capital support in three to five years,” he says.