Meatly makes history with first European cultivated meat sale authorisation

Meatly, a cultivated pet food company, has made history, becoming the first European company to be authorised to sell cultivated meat for pet food in the UK.

This regulatory approval means that Meatly is also the first cultivated meat company approved for sale in any European country.

“Today marks a significant milestone for the European cultivated meat industry. I’m incredibly proud that Meatly is the first company in Europe to get the green light to sell cultivated meat. We are proving that there is a safe and low-capital way to rapidly bring cultivated meat to market,” said Owen Ensor, Meatly CEO.

The cultivated pet food company has been working closely with the Food Standards Agency (FSA), the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).

Now, the relevant UK Government departments have checked and confirmed that Meatly complies with “all necessary regulations”, with Meatly having passed APHA’s inspection process.

Meatly has confirmed that it “will continue to adhere to APHA’s ongoing inspections”.

With its cultivated chicken for pet food now able to be sold in the UK, the company has shared that it has also prepared a safety dossier and claims its has conducted “extensive testing” to demonstrate that its cultivated chicken is safe and healthy for pets.

Included in the testing were checks that its product is “free from bacteria and viruses, that the nutrients used to grow the cells are safe, and that the final chicken product is safe, nutritious, and free from GMOs, antibiotics, harmful pathogens, heavy metals, and other impurities”.

Meatly, a registered feed business operator, has received approval from DEFRA and APHA for its production facility to produce and handle cultivated chicken. The company is set to launch the first samples of its cultivated pet food this year, marking the debut of cultivated pet food on the market. Following this launch, Meatly has explained that it will prioritise cost reduction and plans to scale production to industrial volumes within the next three years.

A look inside the Forsea seafood experience

“We’re delighted to have worked proactively alongside the UK’s regulators to showcase that Meatly chicken is safe and healthy for pets. Pet parents are crying out for a better way to feed their cats and dogs meat – we’re so excited to meet this demand. We can now continue our mission to give consumers an easy choice – ensuring we can feed our beloved pets the real meat they need and crave, in a way that is kinder to our planet and other animals,” continued Ensor.

Also commenting on the European-first, Jim Mellon, Founder of Agronomics, an investor in Meatly, stated:“Meatly’s regulatory approval is a landmark event for the industry. Through its technological innovation and close work with governing authorities, Meatly is helping prove that we can succeed in commercialising cultivated products for pets across the UK.

“Our pets consume huge amounts of meat every day and so this development can play a crucial part in reducing the emissions, resource consumption, and animal suffering caused by traditional meat production,” concluded Mellon.