CULT Food Science announced an MOU for the first of its kind supply agreement for cell-cultivated chicken. A new partnership with Korean startup “Everything But” adds cell-cultivated chicken to CULT Food Science’s roster of ingredients for its pet brands.
CULT Food Science Corp., a pioneer in the investment, development, and commercialization of cellular agriculture technologies and products, announced a partnership with Korean pet foods startup Everything But to supply cell-cultivated chicken for the company’s stable of sustainable pet food brands. In collaboration with Everything But, the Company will be including cell-cultivated chicken in its dog and cat foods brands, which currently include Noochies! Cultivated Pet Food, Marina Cat and Indiana Pet Foods.
“Our collaboration with Everything But is illustrative of our commitment to shaping the future of food at a truly global scale. These ingredients will allow us to reach even more customers with innovative products,” said Lejjy Gafour, CEO of CULT.
Cell-cultivated chicken was recently approved for sale in the United States for human consumption. The regulatory pathway in pet food requires approval from the Center For Veterinary Medicine, a branch of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. According to the company’s statement, chicken is the leading animal protein consumed by cats and dogs in the United States.
“Chicken is the most sought-after farmed animal meat in pet food, globally. By bringing cell-cultivated chicken-based pet products to the United States, we are able to fill existing market demand but at the same time create a whole new category of sustainable pet products,” said Joshua Errett, VP Product Development at CULT.
Intensive poultry farming has a significant environmental footprint, and potentially severe impacts on human health. Factory farmed chicken manure has been shown to contaminate air, land and soil in areas surrounding factories, including chemical/microbiological contamination of drinking water sources and oceans. Antibiotic and antimicrobial resistance from widespread chicken consumption is a serious and growing concern for the human health system.
Cell-cultivated chicken ingredients are produced by taking a sample from a live chicken and then growing and scaling the cells in large bioreactors. This innovative process allows for the creation of chicken-based pet food products such as treats, foods, supplements and toppers, without the need for high-impact chicken farming.
“Our partnership with CULT transcends a mere business collaboration. Both Everything But and CULT share a profound vision for the well-being of our pets, the preservation of our environment, and a future where innovation seamlessly aligns with compassion,” said Yoonchan Hwang, founder of Everything But.
The company’s cell-cultivated chicken products are expected to be among the world’s first cell-cultivated chicken pet products brought to market.
The availability of the company’s cell-cultivated chicken pet products will be announced in the near future.
