BioCraft gains EU approval to sell cell-cultured pet food ingredients

BioCraft Pet Nutrition has received registration from Austrian authorities to use Category 3 Animal Byproducts (ABP) in the European Union, allowing the company to sell its cell-cultured pet food ingredients to EU manufacturers. According to the company, this approval positions BioCraft as the first company authorized to provide cultured animal cells for pet food in the region.

The Austrian registration permits BioCraft to “multiply cells for the production of pet food.” While the EU does not have a pre-market approval process for novel feed ingredients, companies selling animal-based materials must meet safety requirements and register with the EU Feed Material Register. BioCraft has now met their obligation as a Feed Business Operator and notified the EU Feed Material Register.

To meet regulatory standards, BioCraft submitted a comprehensive Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan, developed by in-house and third-party veterinary and food safety experts. Over three years, safety assessments confirmed that BioCraft’s ingredients:

• Are produced using non-immortalized, non-genetically modified animal cells
• Are free from bacterial pathogens, viruses, mycotoxins, molds, yeasts, and heavy metals
• Contain no biogenic amines, which can negatively impact pet health at high concentrations
• Offer a comparable nutrient profile to conventional meat slurry used in pet food, with a superior omega-6 to omega-3 ratio

“Achieving ABP registration for an animal cell-based ingredient in the EU is a significant milestone for BioCraft and the industry as a whole,” said BioCraft founder and CEO Dr. Shannon Falconer. “This comprehensive safety analysis goes well beyond regulatory compliance and provides a meticulous breakdown of our feed safety protocols, including stringent supplier verification processes, traceability documentation, risk assessments, and SOPs for every critical control point.”

Dr. Shannon Falconer, BioCraft founder and CEO.BioCraft Pet NutritionWhat this means for pet food manufacturers

With this approval, BioCraft's cultured protein can be incorporated directly into pet food formulas, serving as a one-to-one replacement for traditional meat slurry in wet and dry diets. The company’s first product, derived from mouse cells, aligns with the natural prey diet of cats and dogs.

“Pet food producers are following this market space eagerly because there is a need for more ingredients that are supply-chain stable, sustainable, scalable, safe, and ethical,” said Patricia Heydtmann, quality and product development director at Partner in Pet Food, one of Europe’s leading pet food manufacturers. “BioCraft’s HACCP plan detailing safety and nutritional quality provides additional assurance that its ingredients are ready to be developed into healthy products that our cats and dogs will enjoy.”

BioCraft’s EU registration marks a step forward for the adoption of cell-cultured ingredients in pet food, offering manufacturers a sustainable alternative that meets strict regulatory and nutritional standards. The company produces an unstructured ingredient from culture-grown animal cells that does not require additional downstream processing. Click here for more information on BioCraft.

Adapted from a press release.