Pioneering Cell-Based Pet Nutrition Expands in Europe and the UK
In a significant advancement for sustainable pet food, two startups—BioCraft Pet Nutrition in Austria and Meatly in the UK—are leading the way with cell-cultured meat designed specifically for companion animals. These innovations aim to reduce the environmental and ethical concerns linked to traditional meat production, while still offering complete, high-quality nutrition for pets.
BioCraft Pet Nutrition, based in Vienna, recently gained regulatory clearance from Austrian authorities to distribute its cell-cultured ingredients throughout the European Union. This approval is based on the use of Category 3 Animal Byproducts, which allows for cell multiplication in pet food manufacturing. The company, founded in 2016 by scientist Shannon Falconer, focuses on delivering animal-free nutrition without compromising quality or safety. Falconer left a research role at Stanford to pursue this mission, driven by the goal of feeding pets without harming other animals or the environment.
To receive regulatory approval, BioCraft submitted a detailed Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan and conducted rigorous safety evaluations with experts in food science, veterinary care, and food safety. These studies confirmed the absence of harmful pathogens, heavy metals, and genetically modified organisms in their products. The ingredients are derived from stable animal cells, and the company emphasizes that just one small tissue sample—taken in a minimally invasive procedure—can be used to grow meat indefinitely. BioCraft also avoids animal-based substances like fetal bovine serum in its process.
Independent tests have shown that BioCraft’s cultured meat matches or exceeds traditional pet food in key nutrients such as taurine and lysine, with improved omega fatty acid ratios. The meat is developed using mouse cells, which reflect the ancestral diet of cats and dogs.
In the UK, startup Meatly has introduced what is believed to be the first pet treat made from cultivated meat available for purchase by consumers. The treat, called "Chick Bites," contains plant-based ingredients and 4% lab-grown chicken. It’s currently sold in one London location of the retailer Pets at Home. Meatly, which gained regulatory approval in 2023, uses chicken egg cells to produce meat in bioreactors—offering a process that requires significantly less land, water, and energy, and avoids slaughter.
Meatly’s founder, Owen Ensor, highlights that pet diets account for roughly 20% of global meat consumption, making this market an ideal starting point for alternative protein solutions. The cultivated meat is produced without antibiotics, hormones, or animal suffering, and has received positive feedback in trials with dogs. While the process remains costly, the company has dramatically reduced the expense of growth nutrients and plans to scale production using larger bioreactors.
Experts agree that cultivated meat is approaching the technical maturity of other protein alternatives. As production costs decline and familiarity increases, acceptance is expected to grow. Both BioCraft and Meatly see pet food as a stepping stone toward broader adoption, with eventual plans to bring cultured protein to human diets as regulatory pathways develop.