A commemorative photo of the partnership signing (from left: Dominic Jeong, CEO of Simple Planet and President of the Bio Future Food Industry Council; Bruce Friedrich, Founder and President of The Good Food Institute; Seung-kyou Lee, Vice President of KoreaBIO) | Photo courtesy of Korea Biotechnology Industry Organization
The Korea Biotechnology Industry Organization (KoreaBIO), along with its Bio Future Food Industry Council, has signed a tripartite memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Good Food Institute APAC (GFI), Asia’s leading alternative protein think tank. The MOU, signed on the 26th, aims to advance the cultured meat and precision fermentation industries.
GFI is the world’s largest non-profit organization in the alternative protein field. It is committed to creating a safer, more sustainable, and more equitable food system. Its initiatives include open-access research and development, policy advocacy, and corporate support.
Under this partnership, the three organizations will collaborate on several fronts, including market research and knowledge exchange, policy proposals for new food material regulatory frameworks, and joint webinars and workshops to foster technological innovation.
The MOU is particularly significant as South Korea’s bio-food industry, including cultured meat, prepares for global market expansion. Earlier this year, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety revised regulations to establish a legal framework for bio-food approvals. The Ministry of SMEs and Startups also designated Gyeongsangbuk-do as a regulatory-free zone for cell-cultured food. These developments culminated in the launch of the Bio Future Food Industry Council in July, which aims to build a robust bio-food ecosystem and foster stakeholder collaboration.
Seung-kyou Lee, Vice President of KoreaBIO, expressed optimism about the partnership, stating, “This agreement will help create a domestic ecosystem aligned with global bio-food trends and support Korean companies in successfully entering the global market.”
Dominic Ildoo Jeong, President of the Bio Future Food Industry Council and CEO of Simple Planet, highlighted the importance of international collaboration, saying, “Global cooperation is essential for the growth of the bio-food industry, which will play a pivotal role in addressing humanity’s food challenges. We will leverage this partnership with GFI to establish networks and develop actionable collaborative strategies.”
Bruce Friedrich, CEO of GFI, emphasized the industry’s transformative potential: “Reinventing the way meat is produced is one of humanity’s greatest opportunities to realize fully. Korea’s robust R&D and manufacturing ecosystems can be key in delivering the urgent technological innovations the planet needs.”
The Bio Future Food Industry Council, established in July under KoreaBIO, promotes collaboration among companies and builds a sustainable ecosystem centered on bio-future foods like cultured meat. This industry applies innovative biotechnology, such as cell cultivation, to develop sustainable solutions for alternative materials, contributing to solving future food challenges.
