23/11/2023

A reboot of Singapore's 5Cs

What do Singaporeans want?
Are the 5Cs – cash, credit card, condominium, car, and country club membership – dead? (Illustration: CNA/Rafa Estrada)

The notion of 5Cs – cash, car, credit card, condominium, and country club membership – may have been around for decades, but Pamela Lee had not heard of them until last month. The 23-year-old digital content creator recalled being “quite taken aback” by the unabashedly materialistic checklist and the stress that would have come with the endless chase to keep up or get ahead of others. The 5Cs also offered a “very superficial” take on success.

“Someone can have all the 5Cs but deep down, he may be unhappy or finding it difficult to maintain that lifestyle,” said Ms Lee. “I can understand why the 5Cs can be a thing (to define success) because you need hard work to attain them … But I’m just glad that this is no longer relevant for my generation.” This unfamiliarity and rejection of the 5Cs among young Singaporeans who spoke to CNA underscores how the checklist has receded in relevance since emerging about 50 years ago as the "Singapore dream".

People in Singapore now chase meaning and purpose, with the idea of a “good life” evolving beyond material success, according to the recently released Forward SG report. Several key shifts – spanning education, jobs and support for families and seniors – will be needed for this new Singapore Dream, noted the report that surveyed more than 200,000 Singaporeans as part of a nationwide feedback exercise led by the government. What is behind this change in the Singapore Dream and how are Singaporeans redefining success?



Here Are the New 5Cs, According to Singaporeans. Which One Are You?

Out with the old, in with the new. It’s a motto Singapore fiercely subscribes to. Think old estates being replaced by new, swanky skyscrapers. Or the constant roll-out of the latest tech gadgets. As we grow and develop as a society, it seems that our values and attitudes are shifting too.

A new survey by Circles.Life, together with YouGov, has revealed the changing priorities of Singaporeans that have been discernible for the past few years. The traditional 5Cs of Cash, Credit Card, Car, Condominium and Country Club are giving way to their less tangible counterparts - Compassionate, Carefree, Connected, Courageous and Creative.

Here, we introduce Singapore’s 5 Life Languages - new values-based 5Cs. Which one are you?
  • Compassionate - Many of us don’t think twice about squishing an ant when we see one in our house. But not you. Instead of as an unwelcome alien, you treat it with the TLC our fellow earthling deserves, gently scooping it up and releasing it back to Mother Nature.
  • Carefree - Do you like flying kites? We howl in horror if the line snaps and the little piece flutters away into the sky. Yet deep down, you are just like that kite, going where the wind blows. As a carefree soul, you believe in living life on your own terms, and refuse to be shackled by others’ expectations and norms.
  • Connected - No man or woman is an island. Even if the connected you are stuck on one, you’d find ways to reach out to the outside world that’d make Robinson Crusoe proud. You’re constantly plugged in to the tech superhighways of the world. Whether it’s the latest gizmos or cool happenings, you’re the go-to person, and often the first to try out.
  • Courageous - Being brave does not mean no fear. It’s feeling terrified or uncomfortable, but doing it anyway. That sums up the courageous you. “I cannot” doesn’t exist in your vocabulary. Trust in yourself matters more than the tried and tested. You believe that great things are only achieved through a leap of faith, not via the comfort zone.
  • Creative - The creative you are excited by the infinite possibilities of what we can create and learn. And this goes way beyond making your best Picasso impression. There’re so many other areas we can give our mind an opportunity to think in new and fascinating ways. Questions like how to squeeze a lemon in a hundred ways send your cognitive wheels into overdrive and your pulse racing. You love brainstorming and recognise that messy ideas are often the most brilliant ones.

'Embrace wider definitions of success': Forward SG report lays out roadmap for a new Singapore vision
The Forward SG report found that Singaporeans want a vibrant and inclusive, fair and thriving, and resilient and united society. (File photo: iStock)

More than materialism, Singaporeans now chase meaning – and the evolving Singapore Dream must be reflected in key shifts around how its citizens define success across all areas of life. This was outlined in the Forward SG report released on Friday (Oct 27), which laid out a roadmap for a new way forward for Singapore.

The Forward SG exercise, launched in June 2022, was led by Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and other fourth-generation (4G) political leaders to review and refresh Singapore's "social compact". This has been described as "the glue that holds society together, the shared understanding of our roles and responsibilities towards each other, and our shared values and aspirations as a people". The exercise brought together more than 200,000 Singaporeans over 16 months to discuss issues ranging from careers to ageing and environmental sustainability. An area that "constantly emerged" in discussions, according to the report that spanned almost 180 pages, was how the idea of a "good life" has evolved beyond material success. "In particular, there have been discernible shifts in our youths’ mindset. When young people today talk about careers and jobs, they often express a desire for meaning and purpose in what they do, not just for good salaries. In other words, we want to embrace wider definitions of success," it noted.

The exercise also found that Singaporeans agree it is critical to have a strong and vibrant economy, as well as to uphold values of fairness, inclusiveness, stewardship, and "a shared sense of solidarity and mutual responsibility, where everyone gives back to society and helps those in need". At the same time, "hard conversations" involving different views that were encountered reinforced core principles Singapore should continue to uphold and highlighted existing approaches to be refreshed. On the whole, the exercise found that Singaporeans want a society that is vibrant and inclusive, fair and thriving, and resilient and united. 


5Cs? It's 3 new Cs such as caring for environment that resonate with young S'poreans
Heng Swee Keat: Every generation has its own aspirations. I grew up in the 60s and the simple aim of my generation was to get jobs and feed our families

The 5Cs of the Singaporean dream once went as follows: cash, car, credit card, condominium and country club membership.

But these aspirations no longer resonate with younger Singaporeans today, noted Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat during a speech in which he suggested three new Cs to shape the country's future. These are creating more value for society, caring about the environment and wider community, and charting the way forward. "Aspirations evolve, and your generation have your own aspirations," Mr Heng told students at the Singapore University of Technology and Design's (SUTD's) Ministerial Forum on Friday (April 16). "You have grown up in a different phase of Singapore's growth and development, and you will have been exposed, much more, to global cultures and influences, and to social media."

While the fundamental aspirations - a good career, strong relationships with family and friends and the opportunity to start families of their own - remain important, the minister acknowledged that many young people also have a strong desire to drive change and make an impact. The hybrid event was one of Mr Heng's first public speeches since last week's announcement that he would step aside as leader of the People's Action Party's fourth-generation team.

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Are some S'poreans quitting pursuit of the 5Cs?
Has the Singaporean dream changed? Young Singaporeans are apparently working towards more non-material pursuits, a Reddit forum discussion showed

The Singaporean dream used to be achieving the "5Cs" of cash, car, credit card, condominium and country club membership, but that may be fading. Given the recent trends of “quiet quitting” and “lying flat” in the workplace, have Singaporeans decided to “quiet quit” in life, too? 

In a post on the r/singapore subreddit segment of online forum Reddit last Sunday (Sept 25), a Redditor seems to think so. The post received 222 comments within a day and based on the discussion, it appears that the Singaporean dream now is to “hentak kaki”, a Malay drill command for marching on the spot.

He posits that today’s youth “just end up remaining more or less where they were a generation before”, with many lacking “ambitions in their late 20s/early 30s”. He said the Singaporean dream that “used to be the 5Cs” — that have long defined material success here at least in the eyes of some — seems to have morphed into nothing more than “just getting by”. If this is indeed true, many Redditors suggest that it is nothing to be concerned about.



The ‘5Cs’ of The Singapore Dream Are Outdated - The True ‘C’ We Need Is Change

Mastering Singapore’s coveted ‘5Cs’ checklist represents an extraordinary triumph. Only an elite few ever reach the heights of materialistic aspirations. It’s even more impressive if all the Cs are acquired within the 21st century.

Now, the journey to cash, credit card, condominium, car, and country club is much more arduous than it was before. Some of the ‘5Cs’ have become unpopular or unwise choices—even for those who can afford them. Ride-hailing services and expensive COEs have arrested the once burgeoning demand for cars. Condominiums have met their match in BTO flats in Prime Locations. A country club membership is a money sink; so much so that even the well-heeled would consider twice before investing. 

Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, speaking at the launch of the Forward Singapore Festival at Gardens by the Bay, reaffirmed this belief: “From our engagements, it is also clear that the Singapore Dream is more than just material success. It is also about fulfilment, meaning, and purpose in what we do.” The definition of success in Singapore has shifted away from the ‘5Cs’. What once captured and shaped the imaginations of young Singaporeans is now a line of thinking we’re trying to shed. But let’s be honest, we’re going around in circles. So much so that a gambling man could confidently place a bet on what the next consensus-building report would say about what Singaporeans want for the future. That’s not going to change unless the government takes steps to empower Singaporeans with the decision to place self-fulfilment and purpose as a priority in their lives.


New Five Cs

In 2019, it was published that a "new" Five Cs has emerged since the 2010s among Singaporean white-collar workers, with lesser emphasis on materialism. While cash was retained, other C's can now include culture, credibility, career and convenience, among others.

In a web conference of local newspaper Today in 2021, it has been argued that newer generations of Singaporeans are now less materialistic and do not value the original Five Cs as much, and that they have redefined what constitutes as success and priorities in life. A panellist added that they now opt to work for a job that they are passionate in, with the intention to "make a difference", rather than just working for a salary.

In 2022, MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) Circles.Life took to social media to introduce their definition of the new 5Cs with the aim to "reimagine the Singaporean dream" - Connected, Creative, Courageous, Compassionate and Carefree.


Five Cs of Singapore
Condominiums are usually considered by many as one of the fundamental "five Cs"

"Five Cs of Singapore" — namely, cash, car, credit card, condominium and country club membership — is a phrase used in Singapore to refer to materialism. It was coined as a popular observational joke during the 1990s about the aspirations of some Singaporeans to obtain material possessions in an effort to impress others:
  • Cash - Cash refers to spending power rather than physical currency. Financial security and affluence is a status symbol worldwide and for much of contemporary human history was the measure of personal worth and success.
  • Car - Approximately 1 in 10 residents of Singapore own a car. Given high taxation on the import and ownership of motor vehicles (191% on new vehicles, an annual road tax based on engine size, and high pump prices) and a quota system requiring owners to acquire a costly Certificate of Entitlement. Hence, car ownership is a symbol of wealth and power especially in Singapore.
  • Credit card - Credit cards are a visible symbol of success. Singapore's financial regulator, the Monetary Authority of Singapore, has stipulated a maximum personal credit limit of two months' income given personal income less than S$30,000, or four months' income for all others. Banks typically issue different types of cards depending on the available credit limit, associating greater cachet with cards that offer a higher limit.
  • Condominium - In Singapore, privately developed apartments reflect a higher wealth status as compared to public housing also known as HDBs which are public flats built, sold and subsidized by the government. Up to 80% of Singaporeans live in public housing in the country, as land in Singapore is at a premium, meaning that freestanding houses are rare and signify even greater affluence, especially old money.
  • Country Club - In Singapore, there is a small amount of country clubs which leads to limited expensive membership. Access to membership to country clubs is viewed as exclusivity and an indicator of power and wealth.

Country clubs in Singapore seek to refresh offerings as youths lose interest in prestige factor
The Classic course at Laguna National Golf Resort Club. (Photo: Dusit Thani Laguna Singapore)

With recent news that the government will take back the land currently occupied by Raffles Town Club in 2026, CNA looks at what country clubs – once coveted by Singaporeans as part of the 5Cs – as well as social clubs are doing to hold onto and woo members.

When Mr James Sundram first entered the workforce in the 80s, being a country club member was all the rage – and the best way to build business relationships. “You get into the glam and the glory of those things … That was my best sort of networking - playing golf, inviting people to a nice country club. I didn’t have many alternatives,” the 59-year-old told CNA. That has since changed for the younger generation. None of Mr Sundram’s children are willing to take over his Laguna National Golf Resort Club membership.

Nowadays, the semi-retired investor more frequently patronises Singapore Cricket Club – one of the nation’s oldest social clubs – for its convenient location at the Padang and continued prestige, among other reasons. Laguna’s exclusivity has disappeared since he first joined it, he said, and he recently decided to let go of his membership there. Once perceived as prestigious status symbols, such clubs have fallen out of favour with younger Singaporeans, many of whom reject the 5Cs – cash, car, credit card, condominium, and country club membership – that used to form the basis of many people’s aspirations and goals. Land lease expiry is also a problem that country clubs and social clubs have to grapple with.



Chasing the Singapore Dream
KCR is singing Paens to Singapore and the development it has achieved since its independence from Malaysia on August 9, 1965. Here are some statistics about Singapore and why Telangana seems keen on replicating its growth strategy

GDP - According to a press release from the ministry of trade and industry, Singapore, the government GDP forecast for 2014 is 2.5 to 3.5 percent. The Singapore economy grew by 2.4 per cent on a year-on-year basis in the second quarter, moderating from the 4.8 per cent growth in the previous quarter. Its retail sales also went up by 0.4 percent in June 2014.

EMPLOYMENT - Total number of employed people in the country is calculated to be around 3.54 million, by June 2014, which is 3.4 per cent higher than last year and the resident unemployment rate has improved from 2.9 to 2.8 per cent. Per-capita income is said to be 50 million dollars

FDI - The stock of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Singapore amounted to $746.7 billion as at end 2012. The United States ($106.5 billion), Netherlands ($72.7 billion), British Virgin Islands ($59.3 billion) and Japan ($59.1 billion) were major sources of FDI.

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22/11/2023

How to keep bedbugs at bay


To avoid bites on cinema nights, trousers are your best protection, as bedbugs cannot bite through fabric. But experts say more thorough measures are needed to keep the pests out of one's home.

Mr Ivan Goh, general manager of Q-Vector Pest Management, said bedbugs usually enter one's home via people who travel or those who pick up infested items and take them home. He does not recommend tackling bedbug infestations without professional help. "Often the anti-bedbug sprays you buy from stores kill only live bedbugs, but not the eggs. You should engage a licensed pest controller."

Placing contaminated items under direct hot sunlight will kill bedbugs. Certain items may be infested beyond rescue and have to be discarded. Mr Goh suggests they be treated with anti-bedbug spray and wrapped up before disposal. He urged cinemagoers to check their clothing after a movie. Signs of infestation include small black droppings on bedsheets.


Some Singapore pest control firms report increase in bedbug infestations, expect more to come
One way to avoid bringing the pests home from overseas is to soak clothes and other items in water hotter than 60 degrees Celsius, said one expert

As bedbugs cause bedlam in other parts of the world, major pest control firms are reporting an increase in infestation numbers here and predicting that there will be more to come.

In the past two months, cases at Aardwolf Pestkare have increased by around 40 per cent. The firm’s sales manager Pierce Chan noted that there is a global resurgence, with Paris and South Korea experiencing infestations. However, travellers to any part of the world need to be wary, he said. “Personal hygiene is a very important factor. We just have to keep a lookout to places that we travel, especially in hotel rooms and the things that we are going to bring back from overseas,” he said.

At Pestbusters, there has been a 10 to 15 per cent increase in the number of enquiries and cases over the past six months. “It's been increasing steadily and I suspect that it could maybe still increase slightly based on the holiday season being around the corner,” said Mr Joachim Lee, an entomologist at the firm. Similarly, Mr Chan expects a 20 to 30 per cent increase in the number of infestations here in the first quarter of 2024, after people return from their trips overseas during the December school holidays.


How to check for bedbugs when you travel – and avoid bringing them home
Bedbugs seen in the seams of a sofa bed, in L'Hay-les-Roses, near Paris, France, Sep 29, 2023. (Photo: Reuters/Stephanie Lecocq)

Seen the news about a bedbug infestation in Paris? Or trending videos on TikTok of the pests scurrying out from under train seats in the City of Light? 

With the French capital having recently hosted Fashion Week and the Rugby World Cup, there are growing fears of the bedbug problem spreading globally as visitors return home with the creepy-crawlies in their clothes and cases. French authorities have insisted that not a single bedbug has been found by sniffer dogs deployed to the public metro. Yet reported sightings over in London prompted Mayor Sadiq Khan to state on Tuesday (Oct 10) that the situation was "a real source of concern".

For those who might be travelling to the affected regions, here’s what you can do to (try and) protect yourself from the little pests.

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What you didn't know about bedbugs

We've all heard the familiar children's rhyme about bedbugs. But there's nothing like having to deal with an actual bedbug infestation! With the recent news of how bedbugs are crawling all over Paris, these pesky pests are making everyone worried ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics. But while it's normal to be completely creeped out by them, it's also important to note that bedbug outbreaks are incredibly common. What's more, having all your facts in order is important to properly deal with a bedbug outbreak.

Bedbugs are insects that feed on the blood of animals and humans. Adult bedbugs are reddish-brown, while younger ones are smaller and can appear translucent or yellowish. Bedbug eggs are tiny and white. The Latin name for bedbugs is Cimex lectularius, which means "bug of the bed." An adult bedbug is roughly five to seven millimeters long, or about the size of an apple seed. It can be difficult to spot bedbugs, since they're expert hiders. But if you notice tiny black flecks, then you can surely suspect bedbugs, as that's their fecal matter. Also, if you're looking for them, check crevices and creases in your mattress. Because bedbugs are nocturnal, they often hide in wall voids or other dark places, like cracks and crevices.

Bedbugs leave a cluster of itchy bites on your skin, often on your arms or shoulders. However, only 30% of humans exhibit any sort of signs of bedbug bites. Many simply don't have a reaction to their bites. While bedbugs carry disease, they don't transmit them to humans. However, possible excessive itching left from their bites can sometimes increase the chance of a secondary skin infection. Why do bedbugs enjoy invading our beds? Well, they’re attracted to the carbon dioxide that humans exhale. This is why they'll often hide in the wall voids of our bedrooms and emerge during nighttime.


How to keep your home fly-free

When the warmer months come around, flies come too. Whether you live in a big city, the suburbs, or in the countryside, flies are everywhere. And although flies may not seem dangerous, they tend to carry diseases and filth with them, which can cause problems for your living environment, and the health of both you and your loved ones (including your pets).

Therefore, it's time that you learn how to get rid of the flies in your home. Browse through this gallery to discover how. Are flies harmful? - In many cases, flies won't do any harm. However, they can carry viruses and bacteria that can spread when they bite, such as cholera, E. coli, dysentery, and a tropical infection called yaws.

How to get rid of houseflies - Before you purchase a can of pesticide, try to get rid of flies naturally. There are various methods:
  • Lavender - Lavender is an excellent way to repel flies. Its smell wards them away, simply because they can't stand the scent.
  • Basil - Basil is another plant with a scent flies can't stand. You can use it in various areas throughout your home, such as near your food or your garbage cans.
  • Vinegar and dish soap - Mix apple cider vinegar and a few drops of dish soap in a tall glass. Cover the glass with plastic wrap. Secure the plastic wrap with a rubber band and poke small holes in the top. This will trap those small, annoying fruit flies.
  • Cayenne pepper and water - Mix cayenne pepper with water and spray around the house to deter flies from coming in. Just be careful you don't get any in your eyes!
  • Venus flytrap - Venus flytraps are carnivorous plants that eat insects, including flies. They will break down the insect over five to 12 days, and then spit out the exoskeleton.
  • Natural trap bait - You can also use foods or drinks that are attractive to flies in order to trick them into a trap.
  • Essential oils - Many essential oils have strong odors that chase flies away. Some good ones are clove oil, thyme oil, peppermint oil, lemongrass oil, and cinnamon oil.
  • Insecticide and other repellents - In addition to natural ways to get rid of flies, you can use insecticides and traps to kill or remove them.
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21/11/2023

Clean Public Toilets Campaign 2023

This year’s clean toilet campaign to continue focus on flushing out bad habits
Cleaners Li Xiu Mei (left) and Yuen Kok Yeow hope people will look after a public toilet as if it were their own. ST PHOTO: HESTER TAN

As a cleaner, Ms Li Xiu Mei, 56, is often greeted by the pungent stench of human waste left overnight when she reports for duty in the morning. She has also mopped up trails of faecal matter that have hardened on the toilet floor, unclogged toilets choked with waste left unflushed overnight, and scraped off lumps of toilet paper stuck on the walls by naughty youngsters.

“Some users wash up inside and leave footprints everywhere, and sometimes the toilets are choked with toilet paper,” said Ms Li, an employee at One Punggol Hawker Centre, in Mandarin. “Each toilet normally takes around 10 minutes to clean, but these kinds of mess will take us anywhere up to an hour to clean.” It seems Singapore still has some way to go to making it a habit to keep public lavatories clean – an issue the National Environment Agency (NEA) aims to re-emphasise in the latest edition of its Clean Public Toilets campaign. The campaign, which is in its fifth run, was started in 2018.

The 2023 campaign urges the public to be responsible, even when no one is around, and to make sure the floor and toilet seats are dry, as well as to use the flush. Titled “Are you nice when no one’s around? Do it right for everyone”, the campaign is backed by the Public Hygiene Council, the Singapore Kindness Movement (SKM) and the Restroom Association (Singapore).

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Clean Public Toilets Campaign 2023 to include pilot toilet cleanliness module for primary school students
Cleaners at work in a toilet at One Punggol Hawker Centre. (Photo: CNA)

The National Environment Agency (NEA) on Tuesday (Nov 21) launched its annual Clean Public Toilets Campaign, with this iteration including a programme that will see primary school students cleaning toilets.

Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and the Environment Baey Yam Keng launched the campaign in conjunction with the Public Hygiene Council (PHC), Restroom Association Singapore (RAS) and Singapore Kindness Movement (SKM) at One Punggol Hawker Centre. The campaign comes on the back of a Singapore Management University (SMU) study released on Nov 8 which found that coffee shop toilets were as dirty as they were three years ago, but that public hygiene standards at hawker centres had seen some improvement.

The SMU study surveyed more than 1,000 toilets located in coffee shops and hawker centres and sought the views of 9,411 people. It found an unfavourable overall perception of public toilets. About 91.31 per cent of customers said toilets in hawker centres and coffee shops needed “major overhauling”, rating them as “dirty”. Even employees rated these toilets as dirty, with about 70 per cent rating the degree of improvement needed as “moderate”. The study also found that only 6 per cent of respondents were optimistic about the efficacy of clean toilet campaigns.

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World Toilet Day 2023
All about World Toilet Day

City and town folk cannot imagine a life without permanent toilets. 3.6 billion people living in the world today, however, don’t have access to a proper toilet. Compromised sanitation can wreak havoc across communities by contamination of our food and water and the spread of serious diseases that take lives. World Toilet Day is observed on November 19 every year, to bring awareness about the importance of toilets and sanitation in our lives.

World Toilet Day was an initiative of a certain Jack Sim from Singapore, who founded the World Toilet organisation NGO in the year 2001. It was his idea to use the day to raise awareness about the importance of sanitation and hygiene. This initiative was backed by the Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA). In 2010, the UN recognised the Human Right to Water and Sanitation (HRWS) as a fundamental human right.

It was in the year 2013, on July 24 that the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in its 67th session passed a resolution by which it designated November 19 as World toilet Day.

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20/11/2023

Lab-Grown Cultured Meat

Update 17 May 2024: After a promising beginning, is Singapore's cultivated meat industry on the way to the slaughterhouse?
What is next for the nascent industry that seemed off to such a good start?

It was June 2022, and the lab-grown meat industry looked like it had a sizzling future. The largest cultivated chicken meat facility in Asia broke ground in Singapore, with a 30,000 sq ft complex at Bedok Food City, set to produce "tens of thousands of pounds" of meat a year. 

The company behind this audacious venture was US-based Eat Just, who had plans to sell lab-grown chicken meat under the label Good Meat. Eat Just representatives were joined by Singapore officials, including Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu, at the groundbreaking ceremony. Indeed, in October 2022, the government announced it had set aside fresh funding of S$165 million (US$122 million) to accelerate R&D in sustainable urban food production, future foods, and food safety science and innovation. This was over and above an initial S$144 million of research funding in 2020. 

Singapore was also the first country to approve the sale of lab-grown meat, with Huber's Butchery in Dempsey Hill being the only restaurant in the world selling lab-grown meat back in early 2023. In March this year, Eat Just put its lab-grown meat production at the Bedok facility on hold, the Straits Times reported. Huber’s Butchery stopped offering the product in December last year. In the same month, it was reported that Singapore-based lab-grown seafood startups Shiok Meats and Umami Bioworks were merging. And it is not just here that the industry is slowing down. A New York Times article in February detailed the decline of the industry – one which had a bright start with investors pouring over US$3 billion into the industry between 2016 and 2022.


Cultivated meat producer Eat Just pauses operations in Singapore
Eat Just’s facility in Bedok Food City was shuttered when The Straits Times visited it on Feb 29. ST PHOTO: SHABANA BEGUM

The world’s first cultivated meat product was approved for sale in Singapore in 2020 to much fanfare. But production of the cell-based meat by Californian firm Eat Just has been put on pause, The Straits Times understands. Eat Just’s cultivated chicken products – sold under the label Good Meat – are not available at Huber’s Bistro, which was previously the only restaurant offering the novel food. The Good Meat production facility in Bedok, initially slated to open in the third quarter of 2023, is shuttered, ST checks showed.

When queried, an Eat Just spokeswoman said: “We’re evaluating various processing conditions, the unit economics, and a larger strategic approach to producing in Asia.” Huber’s Bistro stopped offering the kebab skewers and chicken salads made with Good Meat in December 2023. Its marketing manager said Huber’s will have the product on the menu again when supply is ready and expects to resume its offering of the cultivated chicken “very soon”. It had previously been selling the dishes since January 2023.

Meanwhile, Eat Just’s $61 million cultivated meat manufacturing facility in Bedok appears not to be in operation. The company held a ground-breaking event for the facility in 2022. Timeline:


Lab-grown meat is on the rise
A nugget made from lab-grown chicken meat at a restaurant in Singapore

The salad looks relatively normal: fried chicken, leafy greens, red cabbage, slices of mandarin, a mango-sesame dressing on the side. But this is no ordinary salad. Getting hold of this particular lunchbox involved staking out a hotel lobby and quick fingers on a delivery app. The prize? Not tickets to a K-pop concert, but one of the world’s first servings of cell-cultured meat. Our modest serving has been breaded and fried and tastes like a diced chicken schnitzel. With some poking and prodding, the nugget reveals none of the long muscle fibers you would expect to find in a chicken breast. This is perhaps responsible for a slight hint of rubber-ball bounciness, but overall the texture is impressively avian. We’d eat it again.

We have pescatarians, vegans, flexitarians, locavores and of course vegetarians. But what’s the word for those of us who make the choice to eat meat not raised on a farm or slaughtered in an abattoir, but grown in a lab? Perhaps the “cytovore”, consumer of cells. It sounds like science fiction, but it’s not. In Singapore, the US company Eat Just gained approval to sell its nuggets of lab-grown chicken to consumers in December 2020. Under the brand name “Good Meat”, Eat Just rolled out its first products at an exclusive social club. Diners sample a bao with sesame chicken and pickled cucumber and a maple waffle served with chicken nuggets. In April, Eat Just partnered with another restaurant to begin introducing its chicken to a wider public via a delivery service. As well as the Asian chicken salad, the Cantonese restaurant is also selling their novel meat in the form of chicken dumpling and chicken fried rice. Demand has already been high – just a few minutes after appearing online, the eight servings for the day were sold out.

Cultured meat has made strides in the last few years, but production remains small. Although the science of tissue culture has been around for more than half a century, growing sufficient flesh to make an edible product at a competitive price has been the major challenge. Good Meat’s meals are priced at 23 Singapore dollars (about US$17) – certainly not a cheap portion. The company is actively working to scale up supply and bring down costs, but it’s clear that challenges remain. Consumer production requires using larger quantities of expensive growth media and bioreactors adapted from the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. These look like the giant steel vats you might see on a brewery tour. The cells grown in these tanks are mixed with other food products to obtain a desirable taste and consistency. This high level of processing is certainly not likely to appeal to everyone.


Meat made from cells is getting closer to animal flesh, but will meat eaters be convinced to change their diets?
A dish made from the Believer Meats’ cultivated lamb product at a test kitchen in Rehovot, Israel. Believer Meats is one of a growing number of companies making lab-grown meat, which can be produced without raising and killing animals

A familiar aroma wafted through the Believer Meats test kitchen as research and development chef Andres Voloschin flipped sizzling strips of chicken made from cells. Scientists produced this chicken. More than 150 start-ups are chasing an ambitious goal: meat that doesn’t require raising and killing animals, that is affordable, and tastes and feels like the meat we eat now.

They are part of an industry aiming to use cellular biology to reduce the environmental impact of the world’s ever-increasing demand for meat and change global protein production. “We are addicted to meat as a species. It’s part of our evolution. It’s part of our culture,” said Believer founder Yaakov Nahmias. But, he says, “we thought about quantity rather than the environment, rather than sustainability”.

Companies making so-called cultivated or cultured meat, which is also popularly known as lab-grown meat, are trying to scale up quickly – partnering with traditional meat companies, drawing more investors and breaking ground on new production facilities. Wide adoption of meat from cells is nowhere near assured, however. It is expensive to make and there are challenges, such as learning how to mimic the complex structure of steak. Government regulation is another obstacle. Only Singapore and the United States allow the sale of cultivated meat. And while many people who have tried it say they like it, others find the idea distasteful. A recent opinion poll found that half the adults in the US would be unlikely to try it. Most of those who said they wouldn’t said “it just sounds weird”.


Meat without slaughter: Here’s everything you need to know about lab-grown meat

Soon, Americans are going to be able to try chicken that comes directly from chicken cells rather than, well, a chicken. On Wednesday, the USDA gave Upside Foods and Good Meat the green light to start producing and selling their lab-grown, or cultivated, chicken products in the United States. Don’t run to the supermarket just yet, though. It’s going to be a while before you can buy cell-based meat in stores, though you should be able to get a taste at a restaurant sooner.

Here’s everything you need to know about lab-grown meat:
  • What is it? - In a nutshell, lab-grown meat — or cultivated or cell-based meat — is meat that is developed from animal cells and grown, with the help of nutrients like amino acids, in massive bioreactors.
  • What’s so great about that? - For one thing, growing meat from cells means that people can eat meat without having to slaughter animals.
  • Is it vegetarian? - No. Unlike plant-based meats like the products made by Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat (BYND), cultivated meat uses animal cells and so is not considered vegetarian.
  • So does it taste like regular meat? - Basically, yes. That’s according to former CNN reporter Julia Horowitz, who tried a cell-based meatball made by Ivy Farm Technologies, a British company.
  • What has been approved in the US? - On Wednesday, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service approved Upside Foods’ and Good Meat’s applications for a “grant of inspection.” Those types of applications “are approved following a rigorous process, which includes assessing a firm’s food safety system,” according to an FSIS spokesperson.
  • When will I be able to try it? - Soon! Well, soon-ish, and only if you’re in certain areas. Neither Upside Foods nor Good Meat have given a date for when their products will be available, but they each have a plan in place to get products out to the public, and Good Meat said Wednesday that production started immediately.
  • How much does it cost to make? - A lot. It cost over $300,000 to develop the first lab-grown burger, which was served a decade ago. The British company Ivy Farm said last year that it could produce a similar product for less than $50, CNN previously reported. That’s a radical improvement, but it’s still way more than a traditional burger costs (and imagine the markup!).
  • How much will it cost for me? - Unclear — but it seems like this first offering won’t be all that expensive, despite the high costs of production. Good Meat’s cultivated chicken will be priced at a slight premium or comparable to other chicken items at a José Andrés restaurant, Noyes said.


Healthy, sustainable, delicious: Does lab-grown meat fulfill its promises?
A piece of chicken from a tank: It doesn't just look like chicken, it also tastes and smells like «normal» meat

In Singapore and the U.S., lab-grown chicken can already be found on restaurant menus. Europe will soon follow. One NZZ writer tries it for herself – and looks into whether it really lives up to its other claims.

The meat in front of me is a light brown color, a piece of flesh that never grew on an actual chicken, but instead in a sterile steel tank in Singapore. Here in this the Asian city-state, the product from American biotech company Eat Just was approved for sale two years ago, and can be ordered at Huber's Bistro on some days. It is served with many promises: It is supposed to be more climate-friendly, better for the environment and even healthier than conventional meat. More on this later. My question right now is: What does a fillet made in a lab taste like? With precise cuts, the bistro’s chef, Jeff Yew, cuts the rectangle into thin strips and throws them into a cast-iron pan with hot fat. It hisses. After less than a minute, the smell of roasted chicken fills the room.

Ten minutes later, he wishes me «Bon appétit,» and places an artfully twisted nest of pasta with roasted asparagus tips, artichoke bottoms and pickled tomatoes in front of me, topped with the much-praised strips of artificial meat. I skewer one of the pieces. It has a delicate texture, and an unobtrusive, typical chicken flavor that blends harmoniously, but not dominantly, into the almost sinfully buttery pasta sauce. In short: The lab meat tastes like chicken. It is juicy and soft. It is clearly a meat product, and not a second-rate substitute. It works really well as part of a pasta dish, but I can also imagine it served sliced in a creamy sauce or as crispy fried nuggets. But can it compete with a grilled chicken leg? To me, at least, it tastes much better than the various vegetarian meat substitutes. So in terms of taste, the chicken from the tank gets a plus point. But what about its other promises?


Lab-grown meat: How it's made, sustainability and nutrition

Lab-grown meat is a genetically engineered product that uses biotechnology. But is it healthier than meat reared from livestock? Lab-grown meat, which can also be referred to as cultivated or cultured meat, is real meat that's grown directly from animal cells. According to Eric Schuzle, the vice-president of product and regulation at UPSIDE Foods, these products are “real meat, made without the need to raise and slaughter animals.”

Cultivated meat may sound like a thing of the future, but it’s closer to reaching supermarket shelves than you might think. In fact, the first piece of lab-grown meat hit the world stage in 2013 when a team at the University of Maastricht presented the first hamburger produced by bovine stem cells. At the time, this original burger cost more than $300,000 to create. But researchers found that two years later, they were able to reduce the cost to $11.36. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the world population will surpass 9.1 billion by 2050, at which point agricultural systems will not be able to supply enough food to feed everyone. But could lab-grown meat help fill this void? Here’s what we know so far. According to researchers in the Journal of Integrative Agriculture, lab-grown meat is made by using the more-than-100-year-old technique of in vitro muscle tissue growth.

“The process of making cultivated meat is similar to brewing beer, in that this is an industrial cell culture process based upon well-hewn fermentation technology,” says Schuzle. “However, instead of growing yeast or bacteria, we grow animal cells. We start by taking a small amount of cells from high-quality livestock animals, like a cow or chicken, and then figure out which of those cells have the ability to multiply and form delicious meat food products. “From there, we put the cells in a clean-and-controlled environment and provide them with the essential nutrients they need to naturally replicate and mature. In essence, we can recreate the conditions that naturally exist inside an animal’s body so that the cells can continue growing. Once the meat is ready, we harvest it, process it like conventional meat products, and then package, cook or otherwise prepare it for consumption.” Schuzle adds: “We’re excited about this as a new way to produce meat because our cells can continue growing many times over as compared to those in the animal. In effect, we can grow many animals from the cells of just one animal for many years to come.”


Pros & Cons Of Lab Grown/Cultured Meat (Benefits & Disadvantages)

Cultured meat is also referred to as lab grown meat, or clean meat (along with other names too), for marketing purposes. These names generally refer to products that use cellular agriculture over conventional agriculture for meat type products)

Pros Of Lab Grown Meat:
  • May help meet the food demands of a growing population now, and in the future
  • May help address world hunger in some ways
  • May help minimize the potential negative sustainability/environmental effects and potential animal cruelty issues of livestock agriculture
Cons Of Lab Grown Meat:
  • The need for lab grown meat is questioned by some – given that we already produce enough food for the world’s population
  • The claimed causes of world hunger and food security are caused by problems that the production of lab grown meat might not solve
  • Affordability might be one of the main issues – production cost has been a major barrier thus far
  • There are possibly better, cheaper and more effective ways to produce food for the human population


WHAT IS LAB-GROWN MEAT, AND HOW IS CULTURED MEAT MADE?
Eat Just's cultured chicken on a grill with vegetables

Billions of cows, chickens, and pigs are killed each year to feed an unsustainable demand for meat that’s eating away at the planet. But innovations in science and technology could bring this needless killing to an end. Lab-grown meat is here.

The concept of lab-grown meat—also known as cultured, cultivated, cell-based, or clean meat—emerged over the course of the last two decades. As Silicon Valley start-ups race to get lab-grown meat on the market, it's getting closer and closer to becoming available for consumers. And the stakes are incredibly high. Lab-grown meat has the potential to spare millions of animals from lifetimes of suffering and inhumane deaths in factory farms.

70 billion land animals, and possibly trillions of marine animals, are killed for human consumption each year. A majority of these animals are raised in factory farms, where they experience brutal forms of abuse in severely overcrowded and putrid conditions for the entirety of their short lives. Major meat producers often defend factory farming as the most efficient way to meet the global demand for meat. But evidence shows that these facilities are disastrous for the environment, nearby communities, consumer health, and animal welfare. It shouldn’t have to be this way. It's time to fix our broken food system. It's time to look for alternatives. Lab-grown meat could hold the key.


What is lab-grown meat? How it's made, environmental impact and more
Meat grown in the lab at the University of Maastricht in 2011. Two years later, the world’s first cultured burger was created by the scientists © Reuters

It wasn’t long ago that the idea of the meat on our plates coming from vast stainless steel bioreactors, rather than farmed animals, seemed like science fiction. The notion has gone through numerous rebrands since its early positing as ‘vat meat’, which triggered unappealing visions of high-tech Spam.

‘Lab meat’ came next, as scientists perfected the recipe in small beakers in laboratories. Then came the more appetising-sounding ‘cultured meat’, as investment from high-profile individuals rocketed and producers positioned these products as having been brewed, just like beer. Now, ‘cultured meat’ has evolved to ‘cultivated meat’, which is the preferred term used by CEOs in the industry. Whatever you choose to call it, with the future of global food security in question, and farmed meat a key culprit in climate breakdown, slaughter-free meat is starting to look increasingly like the future of food.

How is lab-grown meat made? Rather than being part of a living, breathing, eating and drinking animal, cultivated meat is grown in anything from a test tube to a stainless steel bioreactor. The process is borrowed from research into regenerative medicine, and in fact Prof Mark Post of Maastricht University, who cultured the world’s first burger in 2013, was previously working on repairing human heart tissue. Cells are acquired from an animal by harmless biopsy, then placed in a warm, sterile vessel with a solution called a growth medium, containing nutrients including salts, proteins and carbohydrates. Every 24 hours or so, the cells will have doubled. How different is cultivated meat from the real thing? Cellular farming doesn’t grow cuts of meat, with bone and skin, or fat marbled through it like a succulent ribeye steak. Muscle cells require different conditions and nutrients to fat cells, so they must be made separately. When the pure meat or fat is harvested, it is a formless paste of cells. This is why the first cultivated meat products served up have been chicken nuggets or burgers.


A growing culture of safe, sustainable meat
For Singapore’s food game plan to be truly successful, a robust and scientifically-based regulatory framework is needed to address the latest developments in the rapidly evolving field of novel food including cultured meat

In a 1932 essay titled “Fifty Years Hence”, Winston Churchill penned these words capturing his thoughts on how the future of food production would look like. Today, what Churchill had envisioned decades ago may no longer be science fiction. This has been made possible with advances in tissue engineering used in modern medical applications applied to protein production for human consumption. 

The end product is an alternative to conventional meat, commonly known as cultured meat (also known as cultivated or cell-based meat) grown from animal cells. Considered a type of novel food, cultured meat does not have a history of being consumed as food. As such, its safety has to be assessed before it can be allowed to be used in food for human consumption. This is unlike other forms of alternative proteins such as traditional plant-based "mock meat" products made of soy or wheat proteins that are already a staple in many of our diets. While cultured meat may sound strange and even unappetising, there are many sound reasons why we could consider it a sustainable source of food in the near future.

The Future of Food - Since the days where Mark Post of Dutch food tech company Mosa Meat announced the first US$280,000 cultured cell hamburger live on air in London in 2013, several companies have rapidly joined the race. These include America’s Memphis Meats, and Japan’s IntegriCulture. The industry has also since attracted increasing amounts of funding. In Singapore, companies such as Shiok Meats are developing technologies that will yield cultured crustaceans for dining tables. Last year, it was announced that Shiok Meats received US$12.6 million (S$17.3 million) in Series A funding. Despite the hype, the truth is that the cultured meat industry is still in its early years. Apart from consumer education on this novel food, several factors need to be overcome before cultured meat enters the mainstream food supply.  While it appears the cost of producing lab-grown meat has been lowered recently – according to Reuters, ambitious start-ups say they can churn out cultured meat hamburgers priced at US$10 each by 2021 - scalability remains a challenge for many in the industry. Scientists are still researching ways to replace expensive culture media, and finding methods of culturing cells rapidly and at high volumes. Furthermore, the cultured meat industry also faces stiff competition from plant and microbial-based alternative proteins due to the relatively lower costs, as well as higher production capabilities and consumer acceptance level. That said, drivers of interest in cultured meat include consumers’ preference for more sustainable and animal cruelty-free food options. The necessity for urbanised cities such as Singapore to diversify their sources of food, is also a key impetus.


What exactly is lab-grown meat?
The world's first lab-grown burger, shown here, debuted in London in 2013. What once seemed like science fiction has grown into a multimillion-dollar industry that some say is the food of the future

In June, the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved the production and sale of chicken meat by two companies—Upside Foods and Good Meat—who will each initially partner with a restaurant (Upside with Bar Crenn in San Francisco, and Good Meat with José Andrés' China Chilcano in the nation’s capital) with the hope of ultimately marketing other lab-grown meats and making them all available in supermarkets and restaurants.

The USDA decision makes the United States the second country, after Singapore, to legalize what its backers call cultivated or cultured meat, a significant boost to an industry that just a decade ago was purely science fiction. Today, it’s being developed by upwards of 150 companies to the tune of $896 million in investment in 2022 alone. But what is cultured meat, and why are so many people so interested in it?

How is cultured meat made? Cultured meat is “taking cells from animals that normally produce meat for us and using those cells as the powerhouse to grow the meat outside of the animal,” explains David Kaplan, director of the Tufts University Center for Cellular Agriculture. Adds Claire Bomkamp, lead scientist for cultivated meat and seafood with the Good Food Institute, it is “the same thing as traditional meat” but with “the animal taken out of the equation.” The first step to creating cultured meat is to procure animal cells, often via biopsy from an animal—either living or recently slaughtered—or by extracting cells from a fertilized egg. These cells are placed in culture media to encourage them to multiply; but if you’re imagining a bunch of scientists hunched over petri dishes, think bigger.


In a world first, cultured chicken meat approved for sale in Singapore
Local authorities have deemed the product safe for consumption. PHOTO: COURTESY OF EAT JUST

The world's first cell-cultured meat product - bite-sized chicken by Californian start-up Eat Just - will soon be available at restaurants here, now that Singapore authorities have deemed it safe for consumption.

Cultured meat, which involves making meat products by culturing animal cells instead of by slaughter, is not yet available for sale and consumption anywhere else in the world. The cultured chicken bites will be manufactured in Singapore, said Eat Just chief executive Josh Tetrick. "Singapore's regulatory approval of Eat Just's cultured chicken as food... paves the way for the product to be served to consumers in a restaurant setting soon," Mr Tetrick told The Straits Times, although he would not be drawn on a timeline for when the product might be available. He said that for a start, the chicken bites would probably cost as much as "premium chicken customers would enjoy at a restaurant".

But prices would fall as production is scaled up, he added, noting that costs were already a third of what they were a year ago. "To achieve our mission, we'll need to be below the cost of conventional chicken, which we expect to happen in the years ahead," he added. The chicken bites also have the potential to be Halal-certified, said Mr Tetrick, and this is something the company will consider in the future.



This multibillion-dollar company is selling lab-grown chicken in a world-first

You’d know a chicken nugget if you saw one, right? How about one grown from a single cell, with no animals harmed in the process?

Josh Tetrick is betting not. He is trying to win over consumers with his lab-grown chicken bite following the world’s first approval of his company’s cultured chicken in Singapore at the end of 2020.

“We have the freedom to sell across Singapore, whether retail, food service, hawkers, you name it,” Tetrick told CNBC Make It.


No-kill, lab-grown meat to go on sale for first time
Eat Just’s ‘chicken bites’ will be initially available in a Singapore restaurant. Photograph: Hampton Creek/Eat Just

Cultured meat, produced in bioreactors without the slaughter of an animal, has been approved for sale by a regulatory authority for the first time. The development has been hailed as a landmark moment across the meat industry.

The “chicken bites”, produced by the US company Eat Just, have passed a safety review by the Singapore Food Agency and the approval could open the door to a future when all meat is produced without the killing of livestock, the company said.

Dozens of firms are developing cultivated chicken, beef and pork, with a view to slashing the impact of industrial livestock production on the climate and nature crises, as well as providing cleaner, drug-free and cruelty-free meat. Currently, about 130 million chickens are slaughtered every day for meat, and 4 million pigs. By weight, 60% of the mammals on earth are livestock, 36% are humans and only 4% are wild.


Cultured meat

Cultured meat, also known as cultivated meat among other names, is a form of cellular agriculture where meat is produced by culturing animal cells in vitro. Cultured meat is produced using tissue engineering techniques pioneered in regenerative medicine. Jason Matheny popularized the concept in the early 2000s after he co-authored a paper on cultured meat production and created New Harvest, the world's first non-profit organization dedicated to in-vitro meat research. Cultured meat has the potential to address the environmental impact of meat production, animal welfare, food security and human health, in addition to its potential mitigation of climate change.

In 2013, Mark Post created a hamburger patty made from tissue grown outside of an animal. Since then, other cultured meat prototypes have gained media attention: SuperMeat opened a farm-to-fork restaurant, called "The Chicken" in Tel Aviv to test consumer reaction to its "Chicken" burger, while the "world's first commercial sale of cell-cultured meat" occurred in December 2020 at Singapore restaurant 1880, where cultured meat manufactured by United States firm Eat Just was sold. While most efforts focus on common meats such as pork, beef, and chicken which constitute the bulk of consumption in developed countries, companies such as Orbillion Bio focused on high-end or unusual meats including elk, lamb, bison, and Wagyu beef. Avant Meats brought cultured grouper to market in 2021, while other companies have pursued different species of fish and other seafood.

The production process is constantly evolving, driven by companies and research institutions. The applications for cultured meat led to ethical, health, environmental, cultural, and economic discussions. Data published by the non-governmental organization Good Food Institute found that in 2021 cultivated meat companies attracted $140 million in Europe. Cultured meat is mass-produced in Israel. The first restaurant to serve cultured meat opened in Singapore in 2021. Cultured meat is not yet widely available.


Cell-cultured or lab-grown meat
A chef preparing Eat Just's liquid plant-based egg

The humble mung bean - used in the old school dessert tau suan - will be the key ingredient in the largest plant-protein factory to come to Singapore within the next two years.

Eat Just, the Californian start-up responsible for the alternative protein factory, said that the bean can be transformed into a protein isolate, which is a main ingredient of alternative protein products manufactured here. The products include bottled yolk that can be scrambled and cell-grown meat products currently being manufactured in Singapore.

To be built on a 2.7ha plot in Pioneer, the factory will contribute thousands of tonnes of plant-based protein every year, strengthening Singapore's food security.

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Introduction to Plant-based Meat alternatives

Plant based meat. What may instantly come to mind at these words are things like blocks of tofu and tempeh, canned chickpeas and dried green lentils — the staples of the many vegan kitchens that just don’t seem to capture everything that meat actually is.

Because, well, plant based meat is much more expansive than the raw legumes which, as exciting as they are, are not so appealing to the modern omnivore — or, not as appealing as a nice beef patty.

Plant based meat is anything that is a substitute for the flavours and nutrition of animal meat that is derived from plants or fungi. So yes, it does encompass such raw legumes, but it also extends to much more. Key Takeaways:
  • Plant based meat is anything that is a substitute for the flavours and nutrition of animal meat that is derived from plants or fungi.
  • It uses things like legume fractions, starches, fats, and recombinant proteins (as well as other additives) to simulate the nutritional and sensory properties of meat.
  • These ingredients are processed using shearing and extrusion in order to replicate the fibrous texture of meat.
  • It has massive implications for agriclture’s environmental footprint as well as food security, health and animal welfare.
  • The industry is rapidly expanding with investment on many fronts and the technology is popular amongst vegans/vegetarians and omnivores alike.


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19/11/2023

International Men’s Day 2023

Men Leading By Example

On November 19 International Men’s Day celebrates worldwide the positive value men bring to the world, their families and communities.

International Men’s Day encourages men to teach the boys in their lives the values, character and responsibilities of being a man. Mahatma Gandhi said, “We must become the change we seek.”  It is only when we all, both men and women, lead by example that we will create a fair and safe society which allows everyone the opportunity to prosper.

International Men’s Day is an opportunity for people everywhere of goodwill to appreciate and celebrate the men in their lives and the contribution they make to society for the greater good of all.

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International Men’s Day is annually held on November 19 to improve gender relations and promote unity
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