A cultivated meat company, has announced it has received its first regulatory approval to supply its cultivated wagyu beef as an ingredient for pet food in the UK.
Ivy Farm Technologies’ cultivated wagyu is real beef, grown from cells taken from a single, individually registered F1 wagyu cow, without the need for slaughter.
The approval follows a close, collaborative process with UK regulators, including the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).
As well as providing the umami flavour of wagyu, Ivy Farm says it has proven to be highly nutritious and rich in vitamins and minerals.
Third-party tests for digestion and absorption have shown it outperforms both traditional beef and chicken with initial results suggesting it could also be kinder to gut health.
David Pytches, Head of Sales at Ivy Farm, said: “Pet owners want to know exactly what goes into their pet’s bowl, and the best brands are looking for ingredients that deliver on nutrition, taste and provenance.
“Our cultivated wagyu offers all three, and we’re talking to pet food brands and manufacturers about how it can help them stand out. We’re keen to work with any brand or manufacturer that puts quality first and wants to help build this market as we bring cultivated wagyu to commercial scale.”
The first commercial-scale production run is due to complete in early 2027 and the company has also submitted an application for pet food approval in Europe.
Soon, humans may even be eating it as Ivy Farm continues to work towards approval of its cultivated wagyu for human consumption, with regulatory processes under way in the UK, Europe and the US.
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