The world's first pet food made from cultivated meat has been launched in the UK.

On the 6th (local time), Meatly, a cultivated meat manufacturer for dogs, announced that it had partnered with Pets at Home, a UK-based retailer, to begin selling "Chick Bites", a pet food made from cultivated meat. The limited-edition Chick Bites product was made available at a Pets at Home store in Brentford, West London.

This product is made solely from cultivated meat and plant-based ingredients. The cultivated meat is chicken grown from a single egg cell.

Meatly explained, "With just a single cell, we can produce cultivated meat indefinitely. It has the same taste and nutritional value as conventional chicken breast and contains essential amino acids, fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins for pet health." Pets at Home also described the product as "a more nutritious, healthier, and sustainable alternative to existing pet food products."

Meatly plans to expand production and attract investment within the next three to five years while collaborating with plant-based product retailers such as The Pack and Pets at Home.

Owen Ensor, founder of Meatly, stated, "This marks a significant leap toward a healthy, sustainable, and ethical meat market for the planet and animals." Anja Madsen, CEO of Pets at Home, added, "This innovation has the potential to greatly reduce the environmental impact of pet food and could be a game-changer for the industry."

Meanwhile, in July, the UK approved the sale of cultivated meat produced by Meatly, making it the first country in Europe to permit the use of cultivated meat in pet food.

With the emergence of AI-powered technologies like ChatGPT, advancements in artificial intelligence are now influencing our food industry as well. One of the most significant changes is in the way we produce meat.

Instead of the traditional method of raising and slaughtering livestock, lab-grown meat (cultivated meat)—produced using animal cell engineering in controlled facilities—and plant-based meat, which mimics the taste and texture of meat using plant-derived ingredients, are gaining attention as alternative proteins.

Alternative meat refers to food products that replicate the taste and texture of conventional meat without using animal-derived meat. These alternatives are created using plant-based ingredients or cell cultivation technologies.

There are several types of alternative proteins, including:

• Microbial protein-based meat, which utilizes microbial fermentation technology.
• Seaweed protein-based meat, made by extracting proteins from seaweed.
• Edible insect-based meat, which processes insects that are legally approved for human consumption in various countries.
• Cultivated meat, produced by directly growing animal stem cells in a lab without the need for livestock farming.
• Plant-based meat, which is made using plant-derived proteins and other ingredients.

Cultivated meat is real meat produced by collecting and culturing stem cells from living animals, eliminating the need for traditional livestock farming. In 2020, Singapore became the first country to approve the commercial sale of cultivated meat, followed by Israel, the United States, and the Netherlands, where its sale or public tasting has been permitted.

Plant-based meat is made by extracting proteins from plant sources and recreating the taste and texture of conventional meat. The process involves extracting plant protein concentrates, adding fats, flavors, and nutrients to mimic meat’s characteristics, and then shaping the mixture through kneading and compression molding.

The rapid growth of the alternative meat market is driven by various factors, including increasing awareness of environmental sustainability and animal welfare, as well as the efficiency of these alternatives in terms of health and nutrition.

"Israeli Startup Produces 'Cow Protein' from Potatoes, Paving the Way for Dairy Industry Innovation"

Israeli Food-Tech Startup Develops Cow Protein from Potatoes

An Israeli food-tech startup has successfully developed an innovative technology to produce cow protein from potatoes, drawing significant attention.

On the 8th (local time), Israel’s leading news portal Ynet reported that the Israeli food-tech startup Finally Foods announced the successful development of a technology that produces casein, an actual cow protein, from potatoes.

This method uses bioreactors to generate cow protein from potatoes, offering a more sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional livestock-based dairy production.

The development of this technology was made possible through AI-driven genetic engineering technology from the Israeli biotechnology company Evogene. Researchers analyzed vast genetic databases to develop a method of inserting genes responsible for animal protein production into plants.

Traditional microbial fermentation-based alternative protein production has faced challenges related to high costs and low production efficiency. However, the potato-based approach is considered more suitable for large-scale production due to potatoes’ high yield, ease of protein extraction, and widespread availability.

Potato-based protein production is expected to help solve the environmental issues associated with conventional dairy farming, including greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and water consumption.

Dafna Gabay, CEO of Finally Foods, stated, “The southern region of Israel, near the Gaza border, was chosen as a test cultivation site because it provides an ideal environment for potato farming while also contributing to the region’s economic development.” She added that the company will continue working with partners to establish a sustainable dairy protein production system

"Ministry of Agriculture to Support Leading Agri-Food Tech Companies with Loan Rate Discounts and Market Expansion"

"Philippines Declares Food Security Emergency Amid Abnormal Surge in Rice Prices"

According to local media outlets Philippine Star and Reuters on the 4th, the Philippine government announced the previous day that it would declare a state of emergency over food security due to the abnormal surge in domestic rice prices.

Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., Secretary of the Philippine Department of Agriculture, stated, "As of December last year, the prices of regular milled rice and premium milled rice had increased by 19% and 20%, respectively, compared to before the surge in July 2023." He added that the unusual rise in rice prices had pushed food inflation beyond its upper target limit.

Following the state of emergency declaration, the government plans to release rice reserves to stabilize prices. The Department of Agriculture announced that at least 300,000 tons of rice would be introduced into the market.

Under this measure, the government will sell reserve rice to local governments at 36 pesos (approximately 899 KRW) per kilogram, and local governments will resell it to communities at 38 pesos (approximately 948 KRW) per kilogram.

The Philippines, once a rice-exporting country, has become one of the world's largest rice importers due to its reliance on imports rather than self-sufficiency. The country lowered its rice import tariffs from 35% to 15%, making it vulnerable to external factors such as climate anomalies, natural disasters, the war in Ukraine, and export restrictions imposed by major rice-exporting countries like India.

Japan is also facing rice shortages, struggling with a similar issue. The average wholesale price of new rice has risen to 220,000 KRW per 60 kg, a 50% increase from last year. Experts attribute this price surge to extreme heat and abnormal high temperatures.

Experts warn that South Korea's rice market could also experience instability due to climate anomalies and other external factors.