Ivy Farm reveals UK pet food approval for cultivated Wagyu at FPP Amsterdam

Ivy Farm Technologies has secured UK regulatory approval to supply its cultivated Wagyu beef as a pet food ingredient, with CEO Harsh Amin and Head of Sales David Pytches revealing the news at The Future of Protein Production Amsterdam this week.

• Ivy Farm receives UK approval for cultivated Wagyu in pet food.
• Harsh Amin and David Pytches reveal news in Amsterdam.
• Commercial-scale production run targets early 2027.

The clearance opens a commercial route for the Oxford-based company to supply pet food brands and manufacturers while it continues to pursue separate approvals for human consumption. Ivy Farm said the approval followed work with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Animal and Plant Health Agency.

“This approval opens up pet food as a route to market for our cultivated wagyu,” Amin said.

Both Amin and Pytches attended the November 4-5 event at RAI Amsterdam, where cultivated meat production, commercialization and pet food applications featured across the conference programs. Pytches presented Pets, Protein and the New Meaning of Food Quality, examining the role of ingredients and production methods in pet food quality.

Ivy Farm expects its first commercial-scale production run to be completed in early 2027. The company has also submitted an application for pet food approval in Europe, while work toward authorization for human consumption remains separate.

Its ingredient is grown from cells taken from a single, individually registered F1 Wagyu cow. The cells are cultivated in bioreactors using a serum-free nutrient medium before being harvested and prepared for use by food manufacturers.

The company is working with Fold Hill Foods on pet food applications. In a small-scale, blind A/B assessment conducted by Fold Hill, dogs accepted a treat containing Ivy Farm’s cultivated Wagyu as readily as a conventional beef treat, according to the companies.

“In our blind side-by-side assessment, the dogs simply didn’t distinguish between the two,” said Ben Mankertz, Managing Director of Fold Hill.

The cultivated Wagyu was the only flavor source in the Ivy Farm treat, without added flavor enhancers. The assessment offers an initial indication of acceptance in that particular formulation, rather than evidence of preference across all dogs or pet food formats.

On Ivy Farm’s website, Mankertz described the partnership’s product development purpose: “Fold Hill Foods is working with Ivy Farm to bring new and differentiated innovation to its brand and retail partners.”

Ivy Farm identifies treats, fresh meals, wet and dry food, meal toppers and specialist nutrition as potential applications. Its website describes a protein-to-fat ratio of approximately 10:1 and highlights vitamin B12, iron and choline among the ingredient’s nutrients.

The company also reports independent laboratory testing in which its cultivated Wagyu achieved 98% in-vitro digestibility, compared with 91% for the conventional beef sample and 72% for the chicken sample tested. Those figures describe laboratory digestion measurements, rather than results from feeding trials in pets.

Full nutritional and digestibility analysis is available to pet food formulators on request, according to Ivy Farm.

“Pet owners want to know exactly what goes into their pet’s bowl,” Pytches said. He said brands were looking for ingredients offering nutrition, taste and clear provenance, and that Ivy Farm was discussing development opportunities with manufacturers as it prepared to scale.

The Wagyu work builds on a partnership with Northern Irish food producer Finnebrogue, announced in July 2023. Cells sourced from Finnebrogue’s herd in County Down were being cultivated by Ivy Farm, initially with the aim of developing cultivated Wagyu burgers for human consumption once regulatory permission was secured.

That original agreement brought together an established meat producer and a cultivated meat developer around a specific breed and source herd. The current pet food business gives Ivy Farm another application for its Wagyu ingredient while human food authorization remains outstanding.

The UK has already authorized cultivated chicken for pet food. Meatly received its clearance in July 2024 and subsequently supplied cultivated chicken for a limited release of The Pack’s Chick Bites dog treats, sold through Pets at Home in 2025.

Meatly recently announced its move to Imperial College London’s Grapht Works manufacturing site ahead of planned production runs in 2027. Ivy Farm’s own next manufacturing milestone is the completion of its first commercial-scale run in early 2027, alongside continued product development with pet food partners.

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