Umami Bioworks has announced a new partnership with Friends & Family Pet Food Company to launch cultivated pet food in select international markets. The collaboration will focus on introducing sustainable, high-quality protein sources for pets, with a particular emphasis on cultivated seafood. The initiative will pilot in Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the European Union.
“We’re laying the foundation for cultivated seafood to become part of everyday nutrition for pets”
This partnership follows a recent milestone for Umami Bioworks, which has successfully registered two cultivated seafood ingredients for use in pet food across the European Union. The company is preparing for further product launches in 2026, aiming to establish cultivated seafood as a key component in pet nutrition.
“These ingredients bring the qualities today’s pet parents value most—clean nutrition, consistent quality, and traceable sourcing. We’re laying the foundation for cultivated seafood to become part of everyday nutrition for pets across Europe,” said Umami Bioworks in a statement.
The European pet food market is experiencing rapid growth, with nearly 90 million households in the region owning pets and an annual growth rate of over 7%. The demand for innovative and sustainable pet food products has been rising, providing an opportunity for Umami Bioworks and Friends & Family to capitalize on this market trend.
Asia’s first cultivated pet food approval
Friends & Family Pet Food Company, a California-based startup, recently received approval from Singapore’s Animal & Veterinary Services to sell cultivated meat products for dogs and cats. This approval marks the company as the first in Asia to be cleared for the sale of cultivated pet food. The approval comes shortly after two significant regulatory advancements in the United States, where Mission Barns and Believer Meats secured USDA and FDA approvals for their respective cultivated meat products.
The cultivated meat for pet food introduced by Friends & Family will be sourced from the cells of Kampung chickens, a breed native to Malaysia and Indonesia. The product will debut later this year in eight different SKUs, with more products planned for development.
