Friday 8 January 2021

Meat grown in the laboratory makes historic debut in Singapore

SINGAPORE ― Lab-grown chicken meat made a historic debut at a Singapore restaurant today in a culinary first that its creators said could help reduce the environmental damage involved in human food production.

US start-up Eat Just said earlier this month that its product had been approved for sale in the city-state as an ingredient in chicken nuggets after Singapore became the first country to allow the sale of meat created without slaughtering any animals.

Consumption of animals is an environmental threat as cattle produce the potent greenhouse gas methane, while logging to create pastures destroys natural barriers against climate change.

The company on Wednesday said it had made its first commercial sale of the product to 1880, a restaurant in Singapore's Robertson Quay, a posh riverside entertainment centre.

This undated handout from Eat Just released on December 19, 2020 shows a nugget made from lab-grown chicken meat at a restaurant in Singapore, which became the first country to allow meat created without slaughtering any animals to be sold. ― AFP pic


The restaurant began serving the cultured meat this evening, saying its first diners were students aged 14-18 who had been invited to the launch after showing “a commitment to building a better planet”.

The launch, however, was closed to the media because of measures against the coronavirus.

Entrepreneur Marc Nicholson, who founded 1880, described serving cultured meat as a “revolutionary step towards solving climate change and creating the opportunity to feed the world without overwhelming the planet”.

Eat Just chief executive Josh Tetrick said this week that the launch “moves us closer to a world where the majority of meat we eat will not require tearing down a single forest, displacing a single animal's habitat or using a single drop of antibiotics”.

Demand for sustainable meat alternatives is rising due to growing concerns from consumers about the environment and animal welfare, but other products on the market are plant-based.

Meat consumption is projected to increase more than 70 per cent by 2050, and lab-grown alternatives have a role to play in ensuring a secure food supply, the company said.

There were concerns that lab-grown varieties would be too expensive, but a spokesman for Eat Just said the company had made “considerable progress” in lowering the cost. ― AFP


Source: The Malay Mail
Dec 19, 2020

Black Widow, James Bond jadi harapan pawagam kembali bernyawa


Black Widow antara filem yang diharap dapat menarik penonton ke pawagam.


Pengendali dan syarikat pemilik pawagam berharap barisan filem blockbuster akan membantu mereka kembali 'hidup' pada tahun 2021, lapor Reuters.
Kira-kira dua pertiga pawagam di Amerika Syarikat dan Kanada ditutup, sedangkan selama ini di situlah merupakan antara pasaran filem terbesar di dunia.

Kutipan box office pada tahun 2020 pula menjunam sehingga 80% dari tahun sebelumnya.
Tetapi pemilik pawagam dan penganalisis industri optimis terutamanya kini setelah vaksin COVID-19 dilancarkan, selain mereka bersandarkan pada kekuatan kisah James Bond, Black Widow serta beberapa lagi filem blockbuster baharu yang akan mula ditayangkan pada musim bunga nanti.

"Saya rasa kita akan melihat perkembangan positif sepanjang 2021, tetapi mungkin kita memerlukan sedikit masa untuk melihat ia menjadi kenyataan," kata Shawn Robbins, ketua penganalisis BoxOfficePro.com.

Filem James Bond No Time to Die, dari MGM dan Comcast Corp's Universal Pictures, dijadualkan ditayangkan pada bulan April, manakala Black Widow dari Marvel Studios Walt Disney Co, dan Fast & Furious terbitan Universal dijadualkan ditayangkan pada bulan Mei.

Selain itu beberapa filem musim panas yang dinanti-nantikan termasuk Top Gun: Maverick dari Paramount Pictures ViacomCBS Inc, animasi Universal Minions: The Rise of Gru, dan Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings oleh Marvel.

Keyakinan mereka turut didorong oleh kejayaan filem Wonder Woman 1984 yang ditayangkan sepanjang musim cuti Krismas.

Walaupun angkanya jauh lebih rendah dari debut filem aksi biasa, penjualan tiket untuk filem tersebut lebih tinggi daripada jangkaan awal, walaupun penonton di AS mempunyai pilihan untuk menonton filem itu di rumah menerusi HBO Max.

Ini memberi gambaran jika filem tersebut menarik dan penonton dibenarkan kembali ke pawagam, mereka tidak akan teragak-agak untuk datang.

"Kehadiran penonton semakin meningkat setiap hari. Tetapi industri takkan pulih dalam tempoh yang cepat, sekurang-kurangnya tidak selagi suntikan vaksin belum meluas.

"Mungkin pada hujung 2021 kita akan pulih sepenuhnya," kata Naib Presiden Eksekutif B&B Theatres, Bobbie Bagby Ford.

Sumber: Astro Awani
Januari 3, 2021