Alternative Proteins Magazine NEWS October 2025 13 Friends & Family Pet Food Company received regulatory approval to commercially sell cultivated meat-based pet food in Singapore. With this milestone, Friends & Family becomes the first-ever cultivated meat pet food approved for sale in Asia. The company joins only a handful of cultivated meat companies with regulatory approval across the world. The approval was issued by Singapore’s Animal & Veterinary Services (AVS) in June 2025. Friends & Family will begin production of cultivated meatbased treats for cats and dogs in Singapore in the fall. “Part of the Friends & Family mission is not simply to replace the protein in the pet food supply chain, but to improve the underlying protein cats and dogs eat,” says Joshua Errett, CEO and founder of Friends & Family Pet Food Company. “That’s only possible with cultivated meat. We can optimize cultivated meat to have higher levels of nutrients, like taurine, and improve digestibility and nutrient absorption. And ultimately we believe we can make much better meat for our cats and dogs.” The company's inaugural products are freezedried treats for cats and dogs, with human-grade cultivated poultry as the first ingredient. “This is a big step for the cultivated meat industry, and for Singapore – which soon will be the only place in the world where you can buy your cat or dog a cultivated treat,” comments Maurice Yeo, Friends & Family’s COO. Read more>> Singapore greenlights cultivated meat pet treats Photo: Freepik On the opening day of the 2025 Global Shrimp Forum, being held from 2-4 September, BioMar, Innovafeed, and Auchan announced a significant industry commitment: The large-scale integration of insect protein into commercial shrimp feed in Ecuador. This milestone is viewed as a turning point for both the insect and aquaculture industries, demonstrating that insect protein is a viable part of the solution in responsible and resilient shrimp farming. Insect meal is much more than a protein source, it contains functional nutrients like antimicrobial peptides. Recent research from BioMar showed a unique functional benefit in shrimp feeds, making it possible to substitute it with a similarly valued ingredient currently in use. This discovery offers insect meal a viable market entry position in shrimp feeds at its current market value. From there, it’s possible to scale insect meal and hopefully be market competitive in the protein ingredient segment in the future, but for now, it can play a vital role in the functional ingredient segment in aquafeeds, according to the partners’ statement. As part of this industry-first initiative, Auchan, one of Europe’s leading retailers, will support the rollout by integrating shrimp raised on this next-generation feed into its responsible sourcing strategy and product offering. Read more>> Insect meal commercialisation in aquaculture enters new stage Photo: Innovafeed
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