New small-batch food production facility lets trial products go straight to market

SINGAPORE'S food manufacturers can trial new products with the first Singapore Food Agency-licensed (SFA) shared facility for small-batch food production, jointly launched by the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), Enterprise Singapore (ESG) and JTC on Friday (Apr 22).

Dubbed FoodPlant, the 1,107 sq m facility at JTC Food Hub @ Senoko will give local companies access to pilot scale equipment, research and development (R&D) consultancy services and upskilling courses, the organisations said in a joint press release.

As FoodPlant is SFA-licensed, any food products manufactured there can be sold commercially. Companies can thus trial new products in small batches and sell them to consumers for market testing, allowing for early-stage feedback.

"Its affordable pay-per-use model lowers the barriers to market entry, such as high upfront costs in setting up a manufacturing plant or being charged for minimum order quantities when accessing commercial food processing equipment," said SIT president Chua Kee Chaing.

FoodPlant is part of ESG’s FoodInnovate initiative to grow Singapore’s food manufacturing industry. Prior to the official launch, it had already secured 17 membership sign-ups by companies and individuals, including Agrocorp International, You Tiao Man and SGProtein.

The facility's pay-per-use model is on top of membership costs, said SIT. Both members and non-members will be able to use manufacturing equipment, but members will receive a discount and priority booking.

By 2026, the facility is expected to benefit at least 200 food manufacturers in developing at least 400 new food products in response to changing consumer preferences.

For instance, companies developing plant-based meat alternatives or cell-cultured proteins can tap FoodPlant’s advanced food processing equipment, technologies and expertise for faster innovation, said ESG’s managing director and chief operating officer Jeffrey Siow.

Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, who was guest of honour for the launch, said the opening of FoodPlant would give an important boost to Singapore's food innovation landscape.

Food-related R&D is a key part of Singapore's research efforts, with the Republic taking food security seriously given its land constraints and reliance on food imports, he said.

Not only are consumer preferences evolving and the global food market expanding, the Covid-19 pandemic and Ukraine conflict have shown that disruptions to supply chains can pose a severe challenge to food security, said Heng: "This will be further exacerbated by climate change in the years ahead."

FoodPlant's shared facilities will allow companies to compress the innovation cycle and get to market more quickly, said Heng. It will also encourage the transfer of knowledge and skills between SIT and industry, through workshops, masterclasses and seminars.

The facility will provide skills training for food technologists to encourage food processing technologies, led by local and foreign experts such as SIT associate professor and FoodPlant chief executive Dr Lim Bee Gim.