Japan, China, South Korea planning to ban Bill Gates’ plan on synthetic food, meat? Fact Check
Claim: Japan, China and South Korea are preparing to ban Bill Gates’ lab-grown artificial and synthetic foods or meat.
Conclusion: The claim is false. Regulatory updates, government statements and industry reports reveal no such measure. Instead, all three countries are actively investing in and advancing cultivated meat technologies.
Rating : False — 
Several social media users have claimed that certain South Asian countries are going to ban Bill Gates’ lab grown food. Verified X user ‘RealWester19512’ shared such a claim with the caption : “BREAKING Japan, China and South Korea are preparing to ban Bill Gates’ lab-grown artificial and Synthetic foods or meat.” The post gained more than 2 million views and can be seen below –
BREAKING🇺🇸❌🇨🇳🇰🇷🇯🇵 Japan, China and South Korea are preparing to ban Bill Gates’ lab-grown artificial and Synthetic foods or meat. pic.twitter.com/441NNMZGQh
— RealWestern (@RealWester19512) February 17, 2026
Other users have shared similar claims that can be seen here and here.
FACT CHECK
DigitEYE India decided to investigate this claim and found that it is false. Official policy updates, public statements, and industry coverage do not back this claim. In fact, Japan, China and South Korea are pushing ahead with investments and development in cultivated meat to strengthen food security and long term sustainability.
We first conducted a web search with the phrase “Bill Gates synthetic meat” to learn about the context. According to an article, Gates is advocating for a partial shift away from traditional cattle farming toward artificial or plant-based meat to reduce methane emissions. The article notes that he believes “a change in the food production model is now necessary on a global scale” and promotes “advancing artificial meat and plant-based products” as the main alternative. View a section from the report below –
According to a TOI report, Gates has backed lab made carbon butter that tastes like real. Another article by Green Queen pens down the alternative protein companies that Gates has a stake in.
Furthermore, Bill Gates does not directly own any synthetic foods company, he has only invested in them.
Next, we looked into whether Japan is preparing to ban or propose any restrictions on synthetic foods. According to a report by Food Tech Japan published on November 16, 2025, mentions “Former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stated in February 2023 that alternative-protein technologies such as cellular agriculture are ‘important technologies from the viewpoint of achieving a sustainable food supply.’”
The report also notes that on November 4, 2025, Japan held its first meeting of the Japan Growth Strategy Headquarters, which identified “17 strategic sectors, including ‘food tech,’ ‘synthetic biology and biotechnology,’ and ‘artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductors.’” We did not find any news about Japan preparing to ban artificial meat or synthetic meat. View a section from the report below –
According to an article, The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has released its official Five-Year Agricultural Plan, which for the first time specifically mentions cultivated meat and prioritizes alternative proteins to reduce the pressure on environmental resources brought by the conventional farming industry.. Below, view a screenshot from the report.
Following this, we learned that China completed its largest cultivated meat facility operated by Joes Future Food, with a 2,000-liter bioreactor for scaled pork production and an annual capacity of 10-50 tons. This pilot plant integrates full production chains “and low-cost serum-free media to large-scale bioprocessing.”
Upon searching whether South Korea has banned synthetic meat, we found that the country is instead investing heavily in research and production. South Korea’s Uiseong County secured $10 million in public investment for the nation’s first Food Tech Research Support Center, a 2,660 sq m facility set to open in 2027 to support scaling and regulatory approvals. Another article published by Anuga also confirms that a national cultivated meat facility will be established in South Korea.
When Bill Gates doesn’t directly own any synthetic foods company, Japan, China and South Korea preparing to ban Bill Gates’ lab-grown artificial, Synthetic foods doesn’t arise. Moreover, there are no official statements or regulations from Japan, China or South Korea that indicate any ban towards synthetic food or meats nor any action linked to Bill Gates.
Thus, the claim is false.
Read More :
