Mizuki Okada 
Roy Nier, CEO of Israeli company Forsea, explains its cultivated eel under development. March 23, 2025, southern Tel Aviv, western Israel (©Sankei)
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Global concerns are mounting over future protein shortages due to population growth and climate change. In response, cultivated meat — grown from cells extracted from fish and livestock — is drawing increasing attention.
Among the countries advancing this technology, Israel stands out. With around 20 companies engaged in cultivated meat development, it is second only to the United States. The country is thus seen as a leader in cultivated meat. Now, one of Israel's startups, which receives visitors from around the world, has its sights firmly set on the Japanese market.
At Forsea, a cultivated meat startup based in southern Tel Aviv, we’re quickly greeted by founder and CEO Roy Nier. He speaks passionately about the company’s flagship product: cultivated eel.
Betting on Japan
Nier explained that the company is targeting large markets and believes Japan offers strong potential, even at high price points. He emphasized that of the global seafood market, worth approximately $700 billion USD, eel accounts for approximately $10 billion. Half of that is concentrated in Japan. Using cells collected from Japanese eels, Forsea has developed a proprietary technology that successfully produces slices of cultivated eel.
The company is not only focused on eel but is expanding into other cultivated fish products. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), fish account for 17% of global protein consumption. Demand for high-end fish is expected to grow with economic development in emerging countries.
To prepare for entering the Japanese market, Forsea has begun co-developing menus with Japanese chefs and established a subsidiary in Kyoto. It has also received investment from Japanese food-related firms. The company is actively working to raise awareness in Japan, including exhibiting at domestic food tech events. Forsea is also promoting its products globally, including at tasting events in the US.
Innovation or Bust
Israeli cultivated meat startups are gaining attention because cultivated meat may become a savior amid looming global food shortages.
A 2017 UN report projected that the global population will grow from 7.6 billion to 9.8 billion by 2050. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), to feed more than 9 billion people, global food production must increase by about 70% compared to 2007. Demand for meat-based protein alone is expected to rise to 470 million tons, a 74% increase from current levels.
However, expanding livestock and fishery production has its limits.
On fisheries, the WWF warns that 31% of the world's fish stocks are overexploited, posing a serious threat to ecosystems if left unaddressed. Livestock also contributes to climate issues: methane gas from cow burps, for instance, means the livestock industry accounts for 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change fueled by such emissions could exacerbate food insecurity.
In January 2025, the World Food Prize Foundation, which tackles global food issues, published a declaration calling for urgent international action. Co-signed by 153 researchers, including Nobel laureates, the statement urged a swift global response.
It warned that the number of people suffering from hunger could surge from 700 million now to 2.2 billion within 25 years. Without support for food-related innovation, the world could face even more severe food insecurity and instability by 2050.
Among the technological innovations highlighted by the foundation, cultivated meat stands out alongside plant-based meat alternatives like soy-based products.
'Just Like Yogurt'
One of the leading companies in Israel's cultivated meat industry is Aleph Farms, which was the first firm to pass strict safety certification by Israel's Ministry of Health. It has succeeded in developing cultivated beef, grown from cow cells using proprietary technology.
An executive presented a slice of the cultivated meat developed by the company, showing a red piece sealed in clear vacuum-packed plastic at its headquarters in southern Tel Aviv. Though it appeared similar to beef jerky — perhaps due to being uncooked — it represented a major innovation.
An Aleph Farms executive explained that cultivating meat from mammalian cells is comparable to producing fermented foods like beer or yogurt, where microbes break down ingredients. They emphasized that this similarity supports the safety of the process.
At Forsea, CTO Moria Simoni, who oversees cultivation technology, noted that the company precisely controls the nutrients given to the cells throughout the entire process. This allows for an accurate assessment of the final product's nutritional content.
The Regulatory Hurdle
Still, a major obstacle to the global distribution of cultivated meat is the lack of regulatory frameworks to ensure its safety. Currently, such systems exist only in countries like Israel, Singapore, and the US. In Japan, since December 2022, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has been conducting hearings with domestic businesses and experts through its New Food Committee, but no formal system has been established yet.
Forsea's strategy is to first launch sales in Singapore, with plans to enter the Japanese market between late 2027 and early 2028. CEO Nier expressed optimism that strong sales in Singapore could encourage Japan to introduce a regulatory framework as well.
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(Read the article in Japanese.)
Author: Mizuki Okada, The Sankei Shimbun
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