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Cultivated meat authorised in the UK

British brand Meatly has achieved regulatory approval to use cultivated meat in its pet food products, a first for Europe.

UK pet food brand Meatly has got the legal go-ahead to sell a new pet food product made from cultivated meat grown in a lab. Yet, as the green light is for its pet food, there’s still a way to go before meat-mimicking products will launch on the market for human consumers.

Singapore, the US and Israel are the only countries around the globe that have currently approved the sale of cultivated meat. Part of the plant-based family, cultivated meat, aims to mimic the sensory and nutritional properties of meat like chicken, pork and beef as well as seafood. Unlike animal-based meat, producers make cultivated meat using fermenters instead of by farming animals.

Globally, plant-based foods are expected to reach a value of $77.8 billion (€71 billion) in 2025, Statista data suggests. On 22nd July, plant-based foods, which represent a growing market, will be discussed at the AGRIFISH council meeting. Plant-based sales across 13 European countries increased by over a fifth (21%) to reach a record €5.8 billion, between 2020 and 2022.

Meatly launches first-approved cultivated meat product

Describing its authorisation as a “world first”, Meatly has become the first European company to receive regulatory approval to sell cultivated meat. The news comes after Meatly successfully navigated its way through following clearance for its pet food, using cultivated instead of traditional meat for the first time.

“Today marks a significant milestone for the European cultivated meat industry,” says Owen Ensor, CEO of Meatly. “We are proving that there is a safe and low-capital way to rapidly bring cultivated meat to market.”

Ahead of announcing its approval, Meatly worked in collaboration with the UK’s regulatory bodies, which include the Food Standards Agency (FSA), the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). Meatly underwent a comprehensive inspection process to adhere to its instructions and pass approval.

The testing process required Meatly to demonstrate its cultivated chicken is free from bacteria and viruses as well as confirming that the nutrients that grow its cells are safe. Meatly also needed to show that its final chicken product is safe, nutritious and free from genetically-modified organisms (GMOs). Now, Meatly’s cultivated chicken for pet food can be sold in the UK. DEFRA and APHA have approved feed business company Meatly and its production facility to make and handle its cultivated chicken products.

Meatly’s first commercially available pet food samples are expected to launch in 2024. The company will then strive to focus on reducing costs and will begin scaling production on cultivated chicken for pet food in the next three years to reach industrial volumes.

Following an investment of £3.5 million, Meatly achieved regulatory approval in under two years of operation. Its protein-free media costs less than £1 a litre and will significantly lower production costs.

“The approval of a cultivated pet food is an important milestone,” says Linus Pardoe, UK Policy Manager at the Good Food Institute Europe (GFI), which details the science of sustainable protein. “It underscores the potential for new innovation to help reduce the negative impacts of intensive animal agriculture.”

Entering the human food system

Meatly’s cultivated chicken pet food has been cleared for sale under the UK’s animal by-products regulations. While Meatly’s approval is a big milestone, it does not necessarily pave a clear path towards cultivated meat for humans as pet food and human food have different approval systems.

Cultivated meat for humans is approved through a novel food system. While the UK applies high standards to pet food, the process for bringing new product developments (NPD) to its domestic market is quicker and less stringent than the approval process for human food, non-profit organisation, GFI says.

DEFRA is responsible for approving animal by-products. Manufacturers producing cultivated meat go through different safety assessment and risk management processes for novel foods. FSA risk analysts assess novel foods, while an independent committee and health minister then sign off on these products before they are placed on the market. The approval process for cultivated meat for humans is anticipated to take at least 18 months. Meatly’s product is therefore not approved for human consumption.

The first UK applications for cultivated meat produced for humans remain under assessment with the FSA. “If we’re to realise the full potential benefits of cultivated meat – from enhancing food security to supporting the expansion of regenerative farming – the government must invest in the research and infrastructure needed to make it delicious, affordable and accessible for people across the UK,” says Pardoe.