Penang: Scientist Dr Mohamad Hafizi Abu Bakar poked suspiciously at the shiny light brown substance on the plate. Under the harsh glare of the fluorescent lights in a meeting room, the slice of - for lack of a better word - meat flopped on his fork. It was supposed to be unagi, the Japanese word for freshwater eel. But it looked nothing like the unagi served at his favourite sushi restaurant. According to BERNAMA News Agency, Dr Mohamad Hafizi, a senior lecturer in bioprocess technology at the School of Industrial Technology at Universiti Sains Malaysia, was part of a taste test for lab-grown unagi produced by Cell AgriTech Sdn Bhd in Penang. The company is the first in Malaysia to grow meat in a laboratory, taking a significant step towards addressing the nation's food security issues. The unagi was grown from stem cells taken from an eel and developed under controlled conditions in a bioreactor. Malaysia faces challenges with food self-sufficiency as imports continue to rise. In 2023, Malaysia imported RM 78.79 billion worth of food products, up from RM75.62 billion the previous year. The country's rice self-sufficiency rate fell to 56.2 percent in 2023, putting pressure on finding alternative food sources. Cultured meat could be a viable solution, offering a sustainable protein source without the environmental impacts of traditional fishing or farming. Associate Prof Amy Then Yee Hui from Universiti Malaya highlighted that Malaysia is a major consumer of fish and seafood, primarily sourced from marine environments. Overfishing and environmental damage from aquaculture are significant concerns, compounded by climate change impacts such as extreme weather affecting fish farms. Cultured meat offers an alternative, reducing reliance on overfished marine resources and minimizing environmental damage. Cultured meat production involves extracting animal cells and growing them in a bioreactor, producing muscle or fat cells without blood or bones. The process ensures the meat's DNA matches conventional meat, address ing halal and kosher standards. Cell AgriTech focuses on fish to bypass halal certification requirements for land animals, awaiting government legislative amendments to allow cultivated meat sales. Public perception remains a challenge. While some Malaysians are open to trying cultured meat, many emphasize the importance of halal certification. The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore has approved cultivated meat under strict conditions, and similar evaluations are underway in Malaysia. Transparency and proper labelling are crucial to gaining consumer trust, especially among the younger, more environmentally conscious generation. Jason Ng, vice president and founder of Cell AgriTech, remains optimistic about cultured meat's future in Malaysia, envisioning applications in pet food and hybrid plant-based products. He and Dr Mohamad Hafizi believe lab-grown meat could play a crucial role in addressing Malaysia's food crisis, with plans to conduct blind taste tests to showcase cultured meat's indistinguishabl e taste from traditional meat.