Czech start-up Bene Meat Technologies has released the first samples of its cultured meat for pet food, and is currently looking for an industry partner who will allow the product to appear on shelves in a number of markets by the end of this year.
Tomaš Kubeš, the company’s cofounder, told Petfood Industry that at this year’s Interzoo 2024 show in Nuremberg, Germany, the company presented the first samples of cultivated meat chunks in gravy for cats and dogs, manufactured with the use of cultivated cells.
“We’re leading the race for the introduction of cultivated meat into pet food, and we’re looking for partners who will join efforts with our company," Kubeš said. "We want to team up with a pet food-producing partner who will use our raw material to process it into pet food, and sell it."
Produced in a laboratory in bioreactors, the raw material is manufactured by non-violently removing cells from a living animal and subsequently growing them in a nutrient-rich medium, according to data from the start-up.
Vendula Kučerová, the company's head of sales and marketing strategy, said that Bene Meat Technologies expects the product to be released in late 2024 for distribution in various markets.
“We’re currently interested in launching it in the European Union markets, as we have already obtained a certificate from the EU’s European Feed Materials Register. But later, we also want to expand our presence to other continents,” said Kučerová.
“We’re observing a strong interest in our product, because it comes with many special benefits which make it unique," she continued. "The biggest one is that this product is not harmful to any animal, it’s sustainable, but also pure and rich in protein. Many dogs, and in particular cats, are difficult to persuade to become vegetarian. Cultivated meat solves this problem.”
In late 2024, Bene Meat Technologies is also planning to open a new production facility where it will manufacture cultivated meat for trials, samples and product development activities with business partners.
Based in the Czech capitol, Prague, Bene Meat Technologies has been working on its product since 2020.
Belgian pet food producer to launch new Polish facility in 2025
Belgium’s United Petfood is advancing construction on its new production facility in Jedlińsk, Poland, hoping to complete the investment next year.
Under the plan, the company will inject PLN 180 million (US$45.5 million) into the manufacturing project, according to the information from local news site Echodnia.eu. As part of the investment, United Petfood will obtain an additional 8,000 square meters (86,100 square feet) to ramp up production activities in Jedlińsk, where the company already operates a plant.
Construction was launched in 2023. United Petfood is expected to create 120 new jobs at the factory once the new facility is commissioned. Using three production lines, the Polish plant currently makes 1,400 tons per month. Following the opening of the new facility, the plant's capacities will be increased.
Jedlińsk is located less than 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the Polish capitol, Warsaw.
Set up in 1994, the Belgian manufacturer says it is a private label maker of high-quality dry and wet pet food, biscuits and snacks. United Petfood operates a network of 24 facilities in various countries, supplying its output to more than 95 markets across the world.
As part of the company’s international expansion drive, most recently, United Petfood acquired a production facility in Ølgod, Denmark, earlier this year, and in 2023, the business bought a factory in Nieuwkoop in the Netherlands, according to data from the pet food specialist.
