Power Plants

Manuel Bossi of Growthwell Foods shares how the plant-based food innovation company is catering to Asian palates

- Camillia Dass

When plant-based meat alternatives broke into the mainstream in recent years, many were excited about the proposition of eating “meat” while minimising the health, environmental and ethical impacts of its consumption. That is, until new research revealed that some alternative meats are highly processed, high in sodium, and contain saturated fats, added sugars and refined oils. Not to mention, many were developed for Western palates.

“A lot of the initial players in the alternative meat industry were trying their hardest to make the meat indistinguishable from its animal equivalent,” notes Manuel Bossi, group CEO of Singapore-based Growthwell Foods. “It’s a product primarily for meat lovers and flexitarians, so the taste has to be there.” He adds, though, that “technology is evolving and we need to be able to adapt and ensure that the taste is still there while cleaning up the labels.”

In a bid to achieve its goal of inspiring a billion people to go green, the food innovation company recently opened a fully automated plant-based meat and seafood factory— said to be the first in Singapore—and it looks set to dominate the industry with its focus on health, innovation and diversity.