Ivy Farm Cleared to Supply Cultivated Wagyu for UK Pet Food

Oxford-based cultivated meat company Ivy Farm Technologies has secured regulatory approval to supply cultivated Wagyu beef to UK pet food manufacturers. This milestone provides a commercial pathway for the company while human consumption approvals remain pending.

Oxford-based cultivated meat company Ivy Farm Technologies has secured regulatory approval to supply cultivated Wagyu beef to UK pet food brands and manufacturers. This milestone provides a commercial pathway for the company while human consumption approvals remain pending in the UK, Europe and the US. Ivy Farm obtained the clearance after working with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Animal and Plant Health Agency. Pet food companies can start product development with the ingredient now. Ivy Farm expects its first commercial-scale production run to complete in early 2027 and has also filed an application for pet food approval in Europe. Harsh Amin is the CEO of Ivy Farm. He said the approval opens up pet food as a route to market for cultivated Wagyu and puts the Oxford facility to work. Ivy Farm is the second company cleared to sell cultivated meat for pets in the UK, following London-based Meatly, which received approval for its cultivated chicken in July 2024. The pet food route runs under the UK animal by-products rules. This process is quicker and less stringent than the novel food assessment by the Food Standards Agency required for human products. Ivy Farm grows the ingredient from cells taken in a biopsy from a single, individually registered F1 Wagyu cow. The cells are cultured in bioreactors in a serum-free nutrient medium, then harvested and formulated into an ingredient for manufacturers. Independent in vitro testing showed that 98 percent of the protein in the cultivated Wagyu was digested. This compared with 91 percent for conventional beef and 72 percent for chicken. Pet food manufacturer Fold Hill ran a blind assessment in which dogs were offered a treat made with Ivy Farm's cultivated Wagyu alongside a conventional beef treat. Ben Mankertz, Managing Director of Fold Hill, stated that the dogs simply did not distinguish between the two treats.

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