Biotech startup Biokraft Foods hosted India’s first formal tasting event for a cultivated meat product in Mumbai, India, last week.
Over 30 representatives from key organizations, including PETA India, GFI India, Chamber for Advancement of Small and Medium Businesses (CASMB), YODA India, and India Animal Fund, had the opportunity to taste cultivated chicken burgers and chili chicken. According to the announcement, attendees praised the innovation and Biokraft’s sustainability mission.
“Biokraft will not only lead in this space but also put India on the global map for sustainable food technology”
Kamalnayan Tibrewal (CEO) founded Biokraft Foods in 2023, focusing on cultivated chicken and 3D bioprinting technology to create products that replicate the structure, texture, flavor, and nutritional profile of chicken meat. The company uses hybrid inks featuring chicken cells and algal-based biopolymers. The startup says more tasting events are coming to gain consumer and expert feedback.
CASMB President and Biokraft Foods Strategic Advisor Nilesh Lele shared, “Biokraft Foods is at the forefront of cultivated meat innovation, and this event underscores their potential to revolutionize the industry. I’m confident that Biokraft will not only lead in this space but also put India on the global map for sustainable food technology. This is just the beginning.”

Redefining meat production
Kamalnayan emphasized the event as a significant milestone in India’s cultivated meat journey. He also announced plans to launch a cultivated chicken product in 2025, with the approval of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Kamalnayan previously said it aimed for a 2026 launch, but now it seems more optimistic.
The Indian regulatory body, FSSAI, is already working to set a regulatory framework for cell-based foods, including cultivated meat and seafood. Other governmental institutions supporting cellular agriculture for food production include the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, which launched a cultivated fish project, and the Department of Biotechnology and the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, which supports cultivated meat research. Biokraft Foods is working with the ICAR-Directorate of Coldwater Fisheries Research (DCFR) to create cultivated snow and rainbow trout products.
“The overwhelmingly positive feedback we received fuels our commitment to redefine how meat is produced”
Beyond his role at Biokraft, Kamalnayan is the president of the Good Food Institute’s Mumbai Smart Protein Project. The company has received support from prominent Indian incubators such as ICT-NICE, SPTBI, and iCREATE.
“The overwhelmingly positive feedback we received fuels our commitment to redefine how meat is produced. We are working closely with the Indian regulatory body, FSSAI, and are optimistic about commercializing our product by next year. We’re excited to lead this space and create a future where technology and tradition meet for a better planet.”