Umami Bioworks and Friends & Family Pet Food unveil cultivated fish cat treats

22 Jul 2024 --- Singapore-based cultivated seafood company Umami Bioworks and Friends & Family Pet Food co-developed cat treats made from cultivated fish, which they will launch early next year. The partners note that the new products address a growing need for environmental stewardship among dwindling ocean resources and an increasing demand for sustainable pet food.

Friends & Family’s new line of cat treats will launch in Singapore and San Francisco in early 2025, with a product showcase in Q4 of 2024. The treats combine Umami’s advanced seafood cultivation technology and processes with Friends & Family’s proprietary pet food platform.

Nutrition Insight discusses the new sustainable cat treats with Mihir Pershad, the CEO of Umami Bioworks, and Joshua Errett, founder and CEO of Friends & Family Pet Food.

“Friends & Family is mission-driven to reduce the reliance on industrial fishing and other animal agriculture,” says Errett. “There are many different ways to achieve this, and we believe cultivated fish is the most consumer-friendly. So, for us, building a sought-after consumer product with a top-tier cultivated company like Umami Bioworks fulfills the mission.”

Pershad adds: “As a cultivated seafood platform provider, Umami’s goal is to enable partners like Friends & Family to deliver healthy, nutritious and sustainable products made with cultivated fish. We aim to empower consumers to choose products that align with their values, and this partnership is a significant first step in that direction.”

According to the partners, the new products are the world’s first cat treats from cultivated fish. They provide a sustainable and healthy pet nutrition option, promoting a “longevity diet.”

Longevity diet
The new treats are rich in high-value microalgae, a blend of high-quality cultured proteins, fibers and other essential nutrients, ensuring that cats receive optimal nutrition. The companies note that the treats and future products support cats’ immunity, digestion and overall health.

“We want to build a better cat treat. If we can’t do that, all our sustainability goals won’t be met. It is fundamental,” emphasizes Errett. “We’re studying the lifespan and healthspan of cats and seeing what we can do, nutritionally, to make a meaningful difference in animal health.”

He adds that consumers care about their pet’s health and happiness. “That will always be the priority of any product our company creates.”

“But we see a new generation of consumers who want more from pet products,” Errett continues. “They are looking for functional ingredients, sustainability beyond recycled packaging, and genuine concern and respect for animals and the ocean ecosystems. So we are speaking to that new consumer.”

According to Pershad, a primary benefit of cultivating seafood is that the company “can provide mercury-free, microplastic-free and antibiotic-free seafood as a result of producing in a controlled production environment. The result is reliably safe, nutritious fish with full traceability that can give pet parents confidence in our partners’ products.”Compared to traditional fishing and aquaculture, cultivated fish production is more resource-efficient.

Sustainable cat treats
Traditional fishing practices significantly impact fish availability. Experts predict that by 2048, the world’s oceanic fisheries will be empty, mainly due to overfishing.

Errett highlights that by using cultivated seafood, the new treat is a start to address the “murky” supply chain in pet food.

“More than 200,000 tons of fish go into pet food each year, worth approximately US$1 billion. That’s estimated to be two billion fish killed annually to feed dogs and cats in the US. There are a host of problems associated with that — from indiscriminate trawling of the ocean floor to documented cases of child slave labor.”

“As we continue releasing products and gaining market share, the impact increases. That’s the goal.”

Cultivated seafood
Compared to traditional sources, cultivated fish production is more resource-efficient and requires less land, water and feed than conventional aquaculture.

Umami Bioworks is leading the cultivated seafood industry. The company is building a plug-and-play, automated cultivated seafood production platform that combines stem cell biology, machine learning and automation.

Pershad explains that cultivated seafood offers a range of sustainability attributes over traditional seafood choices. “Umami’s seafood cultivation approach has lower carbon emissions and substantially shorter supply chains than wild-caught fish.”The treats will launch in early 2025, with a product showcase in Q4 of 2024 (Image credit: Friends & Family Pet Food).

“Umami’s focus on displacing catch of ETP (endangered, threatened and protected) species also aims to restore ocean biodiversity by providing sustainable alternatives to overfishing these species.”

Next steps
By partnering with Friends & Family Pet Food, Umami Bioworks is expanding into the pet food market to demonstrate the versatility of its cultivated seafood technology. The company recently partnered with two Indian organizations to scale and commercialize its products.

“Umami is working on regulatory approvals for cultivated seafood in multiple markets along with scaling our cultivation solution to deliver a first commercial production facility within a year,” details Pershad.

“After our initial market launch with Friends & Family, we intend to be ready to provide capacity so we can rapidly scale supply to bring these products nationwide and then to international markets as well.

Errett adds that Friends & Family is looking to scale with Umami, aiming to “be the future of pet food” with the product’s health and environmental justice benefits.

By Jolanda van Hal

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