Mao considered the humble pig to be the most important food crop in China and the country leads the world in pork production and consumption. Indeed, in 2007 a campaign slogan was: Have fewer children, raise more pigs – 少生孩子多养猪.

However, over the last few years, African swine fever has devastated the industry. In a possible solution to this problem, China’s leading cultivated meat company, Joe’s Future Food, has raised 70 million RMB ($10.9 million) to build a pork production line.

In 2019 the company, then known as Najing Zhouzi, developed a serum-free culture medium.

“The company will further strengthen its core team, increase investment in R&D, and accelerate the industrialization process,” said Dr. Ding Shijie, co-founder and CEO of Joes Future Food. “We will strive to bring cell-cultured meat to the table and provide Chinese consumers with healthier, safer, and lower carbon meat products.”

According to the Vegconomist, while elsewhere in the world there are concerns about eating lab-based meat, in China there is much more acceptance.