BioCraft and Prefera partner to launch cell-cultured cat food with 99% mouse content

BioCraft Pet Nutrition and Prefera Petfood have entered into a partnership to commercialize what they describe as one of the first wet cat food products composed almost entirely of animal cell-cultured meat – specifically mouse, the natural prey of cats.

Announced 7 April, the collaboration pairs BioCraft, a biotechnology company developing cell-cultured ingredients for the pet food sector, with Prefera, a Romania-based manufacturer specializing in premium natural wet pet food. Together, they aim to introduce a hypoallergenic and nutritionally complete cat food made with 99% cell-cultured mouse by weight.

The first product – a mouse-flavored mousse – will be unveiled to the industry at the Zoomark International trade show in Bologna, Italy, on 5-7 May. It marks a significant milestone for both companies as they bring cell-cultured meat into a mainstream pet product at an inclusion level that few in the sector have managed to achieve.

“Achieving a near 100% inclusion level of an animal cell-cultured ingredient for a final product is a game-changer for the pet food industry,” said Dr Shannon Falconer, Founder & CEO of BioCraft. “Most cellular agriculture initiatives struggle to reach high inclusion levels of their ingredient in a final product; however, low inclusion levels don’t accomplish the objective of reducing our reliance on intensive animal agriculture. Prefera understands this, and with BioCraft’s cell-cultured ingredient has overcome this challenge.”

The cat food is designed to closely replicate the nutritional profile of a cat’s natural diet, offering key benefits including a balanced omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio and a hypoallergenic protein source. BioCraft says the ingredient also meets or exceeds conventional meat in levels of essential nutrients like taurine, lysine, methionine, and tryptophan – critical for feline health.

Prefera was founded in early 2024 by a group of pet food industry veterans. General Manager Nicola Magalini emphasized that the company only uses “real, identifiable ingredients without artificial additives or preservatives,” and that its work with BioCraft aligns with its mission to deliver safe, sustainable, and biologically appropriate nutrition.

“This innovative collaboration marks a significant milestone in functional, sustainable and ancestrally-appropriate pet nutrition,” said Magalini. “As a company committed to the highest standards of safety and quality, our partnership with BioCraft helps us innovate in ways that benefit both pets and the environment.”

Initial taste tests among cats showed promising results, with BioCraft and Prefera reporting that their cell-cultured mouse mousse outperformed conventional pet food in palatability trials.

“Cats are notoriously selective eaters, so we're thrilled with the enthusiastic reception,” added Magalini. “It's clear that our feline friends can't tell the difference – except perhaps that they prefer it.”

BioCraft’s proprietary cell culture platform uses non-immortalized, non-genetically modified animal cells to produce meat ingredients free of bacterial pathogens, retroviruses, mycotoxins, moulds, yeasts, heavy metals, and biogenic amines. The company has validated its ingredient through third-party analysis of more than 100 nutrients, comparing favorably with traditional “meat slurry” currently used in pet food manufacturing.