SINGAPORE — Cultivated seafood producer UMAMI Bioworks recently introduced its cultivated seafood protein platform to tackle key challenges in the pet food industry, including supply chain instability, nutrition and sustainability. According to the company, this comes as a response to the demand by younger generations of pet parents for high-quality, science-backed nutrition at a time when traditional animal protein sources face growing challenges. 

Pet food production consumes approximately 2.5 million metric tons of fish annually, contributing to overfishing and marine ecosystem disruption, leaving dogs and cats responsible for 25% to 30% of the environmental impact linked to animal protein consumption, according to UMAMI Bioworks. During times like this, and with the pet food industry continuing to grow, the company states that the need for diverse, sustainable protein alternatives has never been greater. 

“Our cultivated seafood protein platform meets the pet industry’s growing need for protein diversity without compromising on nutrition, safety or sustainability,” said Mihir Pershad, chief executive officer of UMAMI Bioworks.

UMAMI Bioworks has developed its cultivated seafood protein platform to enable premium seafood proteins for the next generation of pet nutrition. The cultivated platform delivers customizable seafood proteins rich in Omega 3 fatty acids, selenium and vitamin D. Additionally, UMAMI’s platform provides flexibility in species selection and nutritional optimization, supporting a broad range of applications.

Nestlé’s Purina Accelerator Lab also recently announced that UMAMI Bioworks has been selected to participate in its UNLEASHED 2025 accelerator program.

 “We are committed to reimagining the future of pet nutrition by making cultivated seafood protein a core part of the industry’s next evolution,” said Ashwath Bendre, product manager at UMAMI Bioworks. “The enthusiastic response from leading global players and startups has been incredibly positive and we’re thrilled about the opportunities ahead.”

According to UMAMI, it is actively partnering with global pet food leaders and innovators to co-develop “next-generation formulas” powered by cultivated seafood proteins.

Read more about the latest advancements in cultivated meat in pet nutrition.