Further Foods Announces FDA Trial Design for Cultivated Meat in Pet Food

CNW / CULT Food Science Corp., a disruptive food technology platform pioneering the commercialization of lab grown meat and cellular agriculture to reshape the global food industry, has announced its subsidiary, Further Foods Inc., expects to complete the design of the feeding trials necessary for regulatory approval of dog food products containing cell-cultivated chicken later this month. Cell-cultivated chicken is a new ingredient without prior approval for animal consumption and Further Foods is, in partnership with Dr. Sarah Dodd, designing a target animal safety (TAS) study to establish the inclusion of cell-cultivated chicken in future Noochies! formulations is safe and effective.

Key Takeaways

• The company expects to submit the feeding trial design protocol to the FDA later this month and the FDA endeavors to provide a response within 45 days of submission.
• Further Foods intends to begin the feeding trials in Q4 of this year once the FDA is satisfied with the design of the protocol.
• As far as the company is aware, Further Foods is the only company in dialogue with the FDA about feeding trials for a cultivated chicken dog treat.
• The company is collaborating closely with leading vet nutritionist, Dr. Sarah Dodd, on the feeding trial design to ensure it achieves all FDA requirements.

Feeding Trial Details

Further Foods is designing a TAS study to provide evidence that cell-cultivated chicken is safe and useful for its intended purpose as a complimentary protein source in dog food products. The study characteristics are as follows:

• A 26 week, minimally invasive feeding study.
• A minimum 8-10 dogs receiving one of: control dose, half dose, normal dose and double dose.
• The control dose will be the commercially available Noochies! freeze-dried treat combined with conventional meat.
• Feed intake data, hematology, serum biochemistry, urinalysis, weight, fecal analysis and digestibility factors will be monitored to ensure the inclusion of cell-cultivated meat is safe for the animals.

Dodd said, “I’m thrilled to be collaborating with Further Foods and Noochies! on this very exciting feeding trial. Cultivated meat is an area I am personally exceptionally excited about, for both its nutritional potential for animals and for its positive impact on the environment. I look forward to navigating the regulatory pathways and feeding trial requirements with the FDA and advancing this first of its kind trial forward.”

“This a pivotal moment for CULT Food Science as a company. We believe this FDA feeding trial will position us on the leading edge of cellular agriculture and cultivated meat innovation. But even more importantly, we believe that the implications of a successful trial could change the landscape of pet food as a whole. Cultivated meat has nutritional benefits, environmental benefits and ethical benefits for pet owners. But the regulatory pathways have yet to be successfully navigated and as a result, this is not currently an option in North America. We are seeking to be a first mover in changing that and look forward to advancing this trial in collaboration with Dr. Sarah Dodd and the FDA,” said Mitchell Scott, CEO of CULT Food Science.

Additional information can be found by viewing the company’s website at Cult Food Science or its regulatory filings on Sedar.