Meatly has become the first European company authorised to sell cultivated meat in the UK, following approval from UK regulatory bodies and government departments.
The company is set to launch the first samples of its cultivated chicken for pet food this year.
Its production facility has now been approved by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) to produce and handle its cultivated chicken.
Beyond these initial samples, Meatly said its primary focus will remain on cost reduction, and it will start scaling production to reach industrial volumes in the next three years.
Meatly said the news follows a “close collaborative process” between it and the Food Standards Agency (FSA), Defra and APHA.
The company said, now that it has passed APHA’s “rigorous inspection process”, it will continue to adhere to APHA’s ongoing inspections.
Cultivated chicken
Beyond the approvals needed, Meatly said it has prepared a comprehensive safety dossier and conducted extensive testing to demonstrate that its cultivated chicken is safe and healthy for pets.
Testing included demonstrating that its cultivated chicken 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.
Chief executive of Meatly, Owen Ensor, said the approval 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,” he said.
“We’re delighted to have worked proactively alongside the UK’s regulators to showcase that Meatly chicken is safe and healthy for pets.”
Ensor said pet parents are “crying out” for a better way to feed their cats and dogs meat and that Meatly aims 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,” he said.
Founder of Agronomics and investor in Meatly, Jim Mellon, said: “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.”