Meatly, a European cultivated meat company, has made history by becoming the first in the world authorised to sell cultivated meat for pet food following regulatory clearance in the UK.
This marks a significant milestone for the cultivated meat industry, positioning Meatly as the first company approved for sale in any European country.
The approval is the result of a close collaboration between Meatly and UK regulatory bodies, including the Food Standards Agency (FSA), the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). Meatly complied with all necessary regulations and passed APHA’s rigorous inspection process, ensuring ongoing adherence to regulatory standards.
First Sales and Future Plans
To gain approval, Meatly prepared a comprehensive safety dossier and conducted extensive testing to demonstrate that its cultivated chicken is safe and healthy for pets. The tests confirmed that Meatly’s cultivated chicken is free from bacteria, viruses, GMOs, antibiotics, harmful pathogens, heavy metals, and other impurities. The nutrients used to grow the cells were also verified as safe.
With regulatory approval secured, Meatly’s cultivated chicken for pet food can now be sold in the UK. Meatly, a registered feed business operator, has received approval from DEFRA and APHA to produce and handle its cultivated chicken at its production facility. The company plans to launch the first samples of its commercially available pet food this year and aims to scale production to industrial volumes within the next three years, focusing on cost reduction.
Meatly’s regulatory approval follows several significant achievements that have placed it at the forefront of the cultivated meat industry. The company, backed by £3.5 million in investment, achieved regulatory approval in under two years of operation and developed a protein-free media costing less than £1 per litre, significantly reducing production costs. Meatly has also secured brand partnerships with leading pet food brands.
CEO and Investor Comments
Owen Ensor, CEO of Meatly, stated, “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.”
Ensor added, “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.”
Jim Mellon, Founder of Agronomics and an investor in Meatly, commented, “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 this development can play a crucial part in reducing the emissions, resource consumption, and animal suffering caused by traditional meat production.”
