US Startup Eat Just to Build MENA’s First Cultured Meat Plant

California-based startup Eat Just, best known for researching and producing lab-grown meat and plant-based egg, is partnering with Doha Venture Capital and Qatar Free Zones Authority (QFZ) to build the MENA region’s first-ever cultured-meat plant.

After a successful funding round led by sovereign wealth fund Qatar Investment Authority, Eat Just has managed to raise the $200 million needed to begin construction of a large-scale facility for the production of meat made from animal cells as opposed to slaughtered livestock.

After an estimated two years to build, the plant will host product researchers, developers, engineers and business development professionals as well as mass operation facilities to produce cell-based chicken.

Given a recent report from McKinsey & Co. that the cultured-meat industry could reach $25 billion in value by 2030, it’s no surprise that plans are already in place for Eat Just to later expand the plant’s capacity to manufacture their vegan egg product. The QZA are supporting these plans for future growth, with an export licence already granted to the company which will allow for potential future exports to western Europe and across the MENA region. In the meantime, Qatar is on track to gain the regulatory approval needed to become the second country, after Singapore, to permit the sale of cell-based chicken.