TORONTO — CULT Food Science Corp. announced that its subsidiary Further Foods Inc. plans to submit its feeding trial design protocol to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) later this month in order to gain regulatory approval for the use of cell-cultivated chicken in its Noochies! dog food. After FDA approval is received, usually within 45 days, feeding trials will begin in the fourth quarter of this year..

Further Foods is working with veterinary nutritionist Sarah Dodd, BVSc, MSc, Ph.D., to design a target animal safety (TAS) study to determine if the inclusion of cell-cultivated chicken will be safe and effective in Noochies! formulations.

“This is a transformative moment for CULT Food Science as a company,” said Mitchell Scott, chief executive officer of CULT Food Science. “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.”

The TAS study, designed by Dodd, would be a 26-week, minimally invasive feeding study with 30 healthy adult dogs of a variety of breeds and ages. Each animal would receive one control dose, one test dose and one high inclusion dose. During the study, feed intake data, hematology, serum biochemistry, urinalysis, weight, fecal analysis and digestibility factors will all be monitored to ensure cell-cultivated meat is safe for the dogs.

“I’m thrilled to be collaborating with Further Foods and Noochies! on this very exciting feeding trial,” Dodd said. “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.”

Scott added, “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.”

Read more news from pet food manufacturers.