BeneMeat is the world’s first registered producer of cultivated meat for pet food
BeneMeat is the world’s first registered producer of cultivated meat for pet food. Its production has been registered by the Central Institute for Supervising and Testing in Agriculture (CZ 802529-01), and the product has been listed in the European Feed Materials Register as ‘cultivated cells of mammalian origin‘ (009569). These milestones confirm the company’s expertise and permit the commercial launch of the product across the EU.
Thanks to cultivated meat*, pet food will be full of pure, high-quality animal protein, without the need for a single animal to die in its production. Thanks to pet food with cultivated meat, owners and manufacturers will no longer have to compromise on taste, nutrition, or even on the quality of feed. For all these reasons, the obtained registration for the production and sale of cultivated meat is an important milestone for the world of pet food producers and animal owners alike.
The extent of BeneMeat’s success
The Prague-based start-up has been working on the development and technology of cultivated meat production since 2020, in an eighty-member international team of scientists. Since its foundation, it has had a single investor – the internationally successful BTL group, which is engaged in the field of medical devices.
After just three years, fantastic success comes in the form of production registration. “We’re excited to have our production officially registered and our cultivated cells listed in the European Feed Materials Register, binding across the entire European Union. This milestone marks the first step on our journey toward expanding into the production and sale of other forms of cultivated meat,” says Roman Kříž, CEO of BeneMeat.
“We know that at this stage of the research we have already met the needs of pet food producers, who are constantly looking for ethically and economically meaningful ways to satisfy their demanding customers, pet owners, with their products. And we are personally excited that for the first time in history, we are offering a quality meat alternative without killing animals, and at a competitive price,” he adds.
The benefits of cultivated meat
The main advantages lie in the health of the products, the quality of the raw materials, and solving the ethical problem of where the animal protein contained in pet food comes from.
The product (cultivated meat) is produced in a laboratory in bioreactors; it’s produced by non-violently removing cells from a living animal, and then growing them in a nutrient-rich medium. The cells “grow”, the cultivated meat is then textured and formed into the desired shape. And importantly for the market, BeneMeat has developed the technology to produce cultivated meat in such a way that the resulting price is competitive in comparison with the prices of products made from traditionally sourced raw materials.
Cultivated meat as a competitive advantage for pet food manufacturers
Cats and dogs like cultivated meat, because it’s real meat, not a meat substitute. Manufacturers of cultivated meat feeds will appreciate the controllable production, the purity of the final product, and the possibility to use it for any type of final product. BeneMeat technology is able to adapt to any manufacturer’s requirements for the resulting type of feed. It’s unique in that it solves all aspects of production and the resulting price – it offers a raw material that can be fully used in production, comprehensively in terms of quality, affordable price, and required quantity.
“Thanks to the obtained registration, nothing prevents us from taking further steps; we’re negotiating with feed manufacturers to get this wonderful product into production,” Tomáš Kubeš, Head of Strategic Projects, explains the immediate plans.
Additionally, due to the purity of the manufactured animal protein in cultivated meat, there is a reasonable assumption that cats and dogs will benefit from it more than from foods made from traditional live animal ingredients.
Cultivated meat from BeneMeat, and its further development
Registration to produce and sell cultivated meat gives hope for a near future where pet owners can give their pets the best food. Feeds with pure protein and high ethical value.
“We look forward to working with manufacturers, as we’re doing it for them and their customers. Ethical principles have always been among the main reasons why BeneMeat started developing cultivated meat technology. This success is very personal for us, and we’re convinced that animals should not die due to the consumption by people, as well as by their pets. And manufacturers have a unique chance to gain an unprecedented competitive advantage in the market, thanks to the existence of our product.” says CEO Roman Kříž, in closing.
When pet food containing cultivated meat appears on the market depends on the agreements with the manufacturers. Sample products will be available as early as 2024, and pet products can realistically be expected in stores in the same year.
Third party support
The registration of cultivated meat production for pet food industry is greatly appreciated by the activist community as well. “It is hugely welcome to see the advent of a new kind of meat from stem-cells grown in a bioreactor being offered as a much more sustainable alternative,” says Philip Lymbery, Global Chief Executive of Compassion in World Farming International (CIWF). Their aim is to reform food and farming system and establish more humane, fair and sustainable conditions in the animal agriculture industry. “It really is good news to see cultivated meat produced without harming any animals entering the marketplace,” he adds.
*Cultivated meat
Cultivated meat, also known as cultured meat or cell-based meat, is real animal meat produced by directly growing animal cells in a controlled environment instead of raising and slaughtering animals. The process begins with a small sample of animal cells, which are nourished with essential nutrients and guided to form muscle, fat, and connective tissue, replicating natural biological growth. The result is meat that is biologically identical to conventional meat but can be produced more sustainably, with lower environmental impact and improved animal welfare. A term Cultivated meat refers to meat (including muscle cells, fat cells, connective tissue, blood, and other components) produced by cultivating animal cells, not by slaughtering a live animal. (Source: New Harvest – a research institute that aims to accelerate progress in cellular agriculture).
BeneMeat
BeneMeat is a biotech company, part of the BTL Group, focused on developing scalable and efficient cultivated meat production technology. Since 2020, the company has developed deep, end-to-end expertise across biology, chemistry, hardware, software, and commercial implementation of cultivated meat. With 100+ R&D experts, BeneMeat is building the complete technological ecosystem, from versatile cell line development to scalable, reliable, and cost-effective manufacturing solutions. The company is prepared to support manufacturers through all the key challenges of bringing cultivated meat to market: technical, legal, regulatory, and commercial. BeneMeat is the first in the EU to be registered as a producer of cultivated meat for pet food (Autumn 2023), proving our regulatory leadership in this space. “We are not just another company in cultivated meat, we are the technology partner shaping its future.”
For more information, contact: media@benemeat.com