Courtesy of Simple Planet
When it comes to food innovation, conversations often revolve around efficiency, sustainability, and scale. However, inclusion—especially cultural and religious inclusion—is rarely part of the equation. In the rush to develop novel food technologies, few ask whether the products they’re developing can truly be consumed by everyone.
Simple Planet is changing that. By embedding halal compliance into its biotechnology strategy from the outset, the company ensures that cultivated food innovations aren’t just cutting-edge—they’re also accessible and culturally aligned.
“We believe that the future of food must be inclusive, sustainable, and ethically grounded,” says CEO and co-founder Dominic Jeong.
At the heart of Simple Planet’s mission is a commitment to building food systems that are not only environmentally sound but also trusted and accepted by communities that have long been left out of the alternative protein conversation.
Designing Halal into the innovation process
Rather than adapting products for halal compliance after the fact, Simple Planet is designing for it from the start. This vision isn’t theoretical. Through its collaboration with Turion Labs, Southeast Asia’s first full-stack biotech platform, they are already translating it into action.
“Through Turion Labs, Simple Planet aims to advance halal-compliant food technologies by making full use of Turion Labs’ comprehensive support,” says Jeong. This includes technical guidance for navigating complex halal certification standards and access to the trial and production infrastructure needed to meet them.
What they are doing is beyond ticking regulatory and certification requirements. The goal is to reshape how food innovation can respect and reflect cultural values from the ground up.
Unlocking global access through halal certification
With the global Halal meat market projected to reach $1.6 trillion by 2032, the need for culturally appropriate and environmentally sound alternatives is pressing. Simple Planet’s pursuit of halal certification is a strategic step toward inclusion—and a clear response to shifting global food preferences.
“In fact, globally, halal consumers represent a quarter of the population,” Jeong notes. “By offering sustainable alternatives that align with halal standards, Simple Planet aims to support the region’s food security and meet the evolving preferences of Southeast Asian consumers.”
This shift is already taking shape. The company’s MoU with Thailand’s Halal Science Center at Chulalongkorn University enables collaborative research, training programs, and certification development. “This partnership is significant because it allows us to integrate Halal Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) directly into our production systems,” Jeong explains. “We also plan to co-organise academic programmes, industry-focused seminars, and training sessions, which will help bridge the gap between scientific innovation and halal compliance.”
Rethinking ingredients with ethical, edible innovation
Central to this work is the elimination of animal-derived components—a long-standing barrier in cultivated food production. Simple Planet has developed a serum-free culture medium using metabolites derived from probiotics, replacing fetal bovine serum (FBS), which is both costly and not halal-compliant.
“Our edible, serum-free culture medium is formulated using metabolites derived from probiotics, providing a strong foundation for meeting halal standards by eliminating animal-based components,” Jeong says. Beyond religious compliance, the innovation has broader implications: “This innovation not only ensures halal compliance but also has the potential to reduce production costs by up to 99.8%.”
The move toward probiotic-derived growth mediums reflects a commitment to both sustainability and accessibility—qualities that will be essential as cell-based foods scale up.
Religious endorsement and public trust
While technological breakthroughs are crucial, Jeong knows that cultural acceptance is equally vital for new foods. A major milestone came in early 2025, when the Korea Muslim Federation (KMF) – the country’s largest Muslim organization – issued an official Fatwa declaring that cultivated meat can be considered halal if it meets certain conditions.
This ruling, only the second of its kind in the world (following a similar decree in Singapore), has significant implications. It provides a religious endorsement that many Muslim consumers and halal certification bodies globally can look to for guidance.
For Simple Planet, which had been working closely with scholars and halal authorities, the KMF Fatwa validated its efforts. The ruling explicitly notes that cell-based ingredients will be deemed halal if they are from halal sources and developed following halal principles. However, final certification still requires a thorough inspection of facilities and processes. In other words, the door is now open – but companies must still walk through it with proper diligence.
Jeong views this Fatwa as a pivotal step toward securing Muslim consumers’ trust. It accelerates Simple Planet’s path to formal halal certification by clarifying the religious criteria for cultivated foods.
More broadly, it sends a message that science and faith can collaborate: modern food tech can indeed align with age-old dietary laws. The KMF’s guidance has effectively removed a looming question mark that hung over lab-grown meat in Muslim markets. As a result, what Jeong is doing in South Korea could echo across other Muslim-majority regions. It’s no coincidence that Simple Planet is eyeing expansions into Southeast Asia and the Middle East in the near future – regions where halal assurance is a ticket to entry.
By proactively engaging with religious authorities at home, Jeong has given Simple Planet a head start internationally. When the company eventually launches its products commercially, it will do so with the backing of halal certifiers and community leaders, making consumers far more likely to give these futuristic foods a try.
Equally important is Jeong’s emphasis on transparency and education throughout this journey. He understands that winning a Fatwa is not the endgame; winning hearts and minds is. From participating in halal industry seminars to openly publishing scientific results, Jeong’s team is committed to demystifying cultivated meat for the public and regulators alike.
With this, the company aims to make cell culture technology not only accessible but also cost-effective. To make this possible, they are continuously creating solutions that help boost real-world adoption across various industries. They want to develop something that’s safe and scalable while maintaining regulatory alignment.
Expanding the Halal ecosystem
Simple Planet’s roadmap includes strategic expansion across Southeast Asia. With Turion Labs launching a flagship site at Indonesia’s Sinarmas Land Biomedical Hub and plans underway in Bangkok and Malaysia, the company is scaling its reach through regional collaboration.
“These milestones are part of our broader vision to develop halal-certified solutions that meet the needs of increasingly conscious consumers,” Jeong affirms. Future expansion into the Philippines is also under consideration, signaling a strong commitment to the region’s halal ecosystem.
Cultivated foods = Pathway to food security?
The potential impact of Halal-certified, cell-based foods stretches far beyond regulatory labels. These innovations could play a decisive role in building a more resilient, ethical, and sustainable global food system.
“Cell-based foods use considerably fewer resources – including land, water, and feed – and generate lower greenhouse gas emissions than traditional animal farming,” Jeong says. “As these foods gain wider acceptance, they have the potential to diversify food supply chains, reduce dependence on conventional livestock agriculture, and help combat hunger and malnutrition.”
Simple Planet is not just producing food—it’s producing solutions. And in a world grappling with both ethical and environmental pressures, that may be the most important innovation of all.
