US pet food brand Noochies! announces that it has initiated the first steps of the regulatory process to introduce a cultivated chicken dog product in the US market. Further Foods, the brand’s parent company owned by Canada’s CULT Food Science, has completed and submitted a feeding trial protocol for dogs to the FDA.
The feeding trials, necessary to ensure the novel ingredient’s safety and efficacy, will start later this year, contingent on the FDA’s approval. The protocol’s design was developed in collaboration with Dr. Sarah Dodd, co-founder of the US startup Friends & Family Pet Food Co.
Noochies! has already introduced two unique products featuring an alternative protein: Freeze-Dried Dog and Cat Snacks, crafted with a dried yeast protein developed by CULT Food Science.
Mitchell Scott, CEO of CULT Food Science, stated, “Completing and submitting the feeding trial design to the FDA is a critical step towards bringing cultivated meat to the pet food market. A successful trial could significantly change the landscape of pet food, offering nutritional, environmental, and ethical benefits for pet owners.”
Cultivated pet food soon to hit shelves
The cultivated pet food sector experienced significant momentum in the first half of 2024. Thanks to several key developments, slaughter-free meat is closer to hitting the shelves in Europe and the USA any time soon.
The UK cultivated meat startup, Meatly, received approval to sell its cultivated chicken ingredient for pets in the UK, making it the first company in the country to obtain such authorization. The approval came from the Animal and Plant Health Agency, which regulates animal feed, and the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs. In partnership with the plant-based pet food brand Omni, Meatly will introduce a cat food product made with cultivated chicken in the UK this year.
According to the company’s research, dog and cat food is estimated to be responsible for 65 million tons of CO2-equivalent methane and nitrous oxide in the US alone and almost a quarter of the country’s meat production.
In a groundbreaking collaboration, Singapore’s UMAMI Bioworks and the US startup Friends & Family Pet Food Co., announced plans to launch cultivated fish cat treats by 2025. These new treats will contain high-quality cultivated fish proteins enriched with microalgae to promote a “Longevity Diet” by offering enhanced nutrition.
The treats are said to provide significant environmental benefits since cultivated fish production is more resource-efficient, requiring less land, water, and feed than traditional fishing methods or aquaculture.
Meanwhile, the Austrian company BioCraft Pet Nutrition reached a milestone by bringing its cultivated meat to price parity with animal meat for pet food.
Cultivated meat companies, including those dedicated to pet food, struggle to lower their production costs because they rely on expensive ingredients and scaling solutions adopted from the pharmaceutical industry. According to BioCraft, it achieved a commercial price of $2.00 to $2.50 per pound of cultivated meat, making it competitive with premium meat for pet food.
Lastly, the Czech-cultivated meat startup Bene Meat Technologies (BMT) showcased what it claimed to be the EU’s first cultivated pet food product at the 2024 Interzoo Fair in Nuremberg, Germany, this May, sparking interest in the future of sustainable pet nutrition.
Last November, the startup self-registered at the European Feed Materials Register to commercialize a cultivated ingredient in the European market, becoming the first to obtain such registration. BMT says it is working to scale production to launch a product by the end of the year.
Vendula Kučerová, Head of Sales and Marketing Strategy at BMT, noted at the time, “There is a growing demand among dog and cat owners for personalized, premium, and natural pet foods that are in line with human nutrition trends. However, owners are increasingly concerned with the idea of feeding their pet animal protein so that another animal doesn’t have to die because of it.”
