Ivy Farm Technologies has secured UK regulatory approval to supply its cultivated Wagyu beef as an ingredient for pet food, opening a commercial route for the Oxford company’s cell cultivation technology ahead of a planned increase in production during 2027.
The approval was obtained following engagement with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). Pet food manufacturers can now begin developing products using the ingredient, while Ivy Farm prepares its first commercial-scale production run, which it expects to complete in early 2027.
The milestone represents Ivy Farm’s first regulatory clearance for commercial supply. It applies specifically to the UK pet food market and does not authorise the sale of its cultivated Wagyu for human consumption.
Ivy Farm produces the ingredient from cells originally collected from a single, individually registered F1 Wagyu cow. The cells are cultivated in a controlled environment, allowing animal-derived material to be produced without slaughtering an animal for each production batch.
The company’s manufacturing approach involves growing cells in bioreactors supplied with nutrients and maintained under conditions suitable for cell growth. The resulting material is harvested and prepared for use as a food ingredient.
Commercialising this process requires consistent control of the biological and manufacturing conditions. Cell growth depends on factors including nutrient availability, temperature, the condition of the culture and the ability to maintain an appropriate production environment.
The characteristics of the starting cells and the consistency of subsequent processing also influence the material produced. A commercially useful ingredient must satisfy the quality, safety and formulation requirements of the manufacturers incorporating it into finished products.
Ivy Farm intends to supply cultivated Wagyu to pet food brands rather than immediately enter the market with a complete range of consumer products. This allows established manufacturers to assess the ingredient within their own recipes, processing equipment and quality systems.
Harsh Amin, chief executive of Ivy Farm Technologies, said: “This approval opens up pet food as a route to market for our cultivated wagyu. It puts our Oxford facility to work and gives pet owners and the brands they buy from a premium, nutritious and more sustainable option.”
Amin said the company would work with partners in Britain and Europe as it developed its manufacturing operation towards commercial scale.
The Oxford facility is central to that plan. Ivy Farm expects its first commercial-scale production run to be completed in early 2027, although it has not disclosed the intended production volume, operating cost per unit or annual manufacturing capacity associated with the programme.
Those figures will become important as the company moves from demonstrating that its technology can produce a suitable ingredient to establishing whether it can supply customers consistently and economically.
Bioreactor operation introduces different constraints from conventional livestock processing. Increasing the amount of material produced may require changes to cultivation equipment, nutrient supply, process monitoring and the handling of harvested material.
Manufacturers also need to determine whether production can remain consistent when operating conditions or equipment dimensions change. A process demonstrated at a smaller scale cannot automatically be assumed to maintain the same growth behaviour and product characteristics in a larger installation.
The pet food market offers a route to test commercial demand while these manufacturing questions are addressed. Cultivated Wagyu may be used in premium treats and other formulated products where manufacturers consider its flavour, nutritional composition and provenance commercially useful.
Product development is already taking place with established UK pet food manufacturers. Fold Hill has conducted a small-scale, blind assessment comparing a treat containing Ivy Farm’s cultivated Wagyu with a conventional beef treat.
According to the companies, dogs accepted the two products similarly. The cultivated Wagyu was the sole flavour source in the relevant treat, without the addition of flavour enhancers.
Ben Mankertz, managing director of Fold Hill, said: “In our blind side-by-side assessment, the dogs simply didn’t distinguish between the two.”
The result is relevant to product development because animals must be willing to consume a manufactured pet food product. However, a small assessment cannot establish universal acceptance across different animals, recipes, product formats or feeding conditions.
Palatability is also distinct from nutritional performance. A product that animals readily accept must still be formulated to meet its intended nutritional purpose, with appropriate evidence supporting any claims made about its composition and benefits.
Ivy Farm reports that independent laboratory testing has produced favourable results for the digestion of protein from its cultivated Wagyu compared with conventional beef and chicken under the conditions tested.
These results have been presented by the company as part of its ingredient development work. They do not, on their own, demonstrate superior long-term health outcomes in animals consuming commercial products.
The company also describes its cultivated Wagyu as containing vitamins and minerals relevant to pet food formulation. The nutritional contribution of an ingredient depends on both its composition and the quantity used in the final product.
Manufacturers considering the ingredient will need to assess how it behaves during their own production processes. Pet food production can involve mixing, forming, heating, drying or other preservation methods, depending on whether the finished product is a treat, wet food or another formulation.
Processing conditions can influence the characteristics of ingredients, including moisture content, texture and the stability of particular components. Commercial formulations must therefore be developed and tested for the manufacturing process in which they will be used.
Quality assurance will also be important as Ivy Farm increases output. Manufacturers require consistent ingredient specifications, appropriate microbiological controls, traceability and documentation covering the materials supplied.
The regulatory approval provides a route to the UK pet food market, but each downstream manufacturer remains responsible for producing products that meet the requirements applicable to its own operation and finished goods.
The position for human consumption is different. The Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland apply a separate regulatory framework to cell-cultivated products intended for people, including requirements associated with food safety and the authorisation of novel foods.
Ivy Farm continues to pursue approval for human consumption in the UK, Europe and the United States. These processes are at different stages and are unaffected by the company’s new pet food clearance.
The company has also submitted an application relating to the use of its cultivated Wagyu in European pet food. Approval in the UK does not establish equivalent authorisation across European markets, where applicable requirements must be addressed separately.
Commercial expansion will depend on developing reliable production capacity alongside customer demand. Pet food manufacturers will need sufficient confidence in ingredient quality, availability and cost to justify incorporating cultivated material into products intended for routine supply.
David Pytches, head of sales at Ivy Farm, said the company was discussing product development opportunities with brands and manufacturers seeking ingredients with distinctive nutritional, flavour and provenance characteristics.
The planned early-2027 production run will provide the next manufacturing milestone. Until its output, performance and economics are established, the regulatory approval confirms market access rather than the achievement of full commercial-scale supply.
