UMAMI Bioworks Enters UK Market With Cultivated Seafood Tech

Singapore-based food tech company UMAMI Bioworks is coming to the UK market to “pave the way” for cultivated fish in the country.

The company says it aims to tackle the UK’s overfishing crisis by bringing its cultivated fish technology to the British “seafood” industry. It describes this as “an urgently needed lifeline for a sustainable future.” The fish populations in UK waters are in serious trouble. A third are overfished and a quarter have been depleted to critical levels. UMAMI says its technology can help protect marine biodiversity while ensuring a consistent supply of “seafood” for consumers.

“We will work closely with leading institutions such as University College London (UCL) and Imperial College to advance commercialization of our current generation of cultivated seafood solutions,” Mihir Pershad, CEO of UMAMI, said in a statement.

Collaborative production

A piece of cultivated fish from UMAMI Bioworks on a white plate — Supplied Cultivated fish could soon be on sale in the UK

UMAMI’s tech uses machine learning and stem cell biology to make it possible to produce cultivated seafood at scale. It partners with other companies to make seafood products. One such partnership is with US-based Friends & Family Pet Food Co, which will launch cultivated fish treats for cats in 2025.

UMAMI also recently announced a strategic partnership with South Korean biotechnology firm KCell Biosciences and bioprocess solutions provider WSG. The integration of the three companies’ technology will facilitate low-cost and efficient production of cultivated seafood in South Korea.

Pershad said the “ongoing support for cultivated meat technology” by the UK government and “a favorable regulatory environment provide fertile ground for UMAMI’s success.”

Cultivated meat and fish is real meat grown in a bioreactor from animal cells. Cultivated meat is not considered vegan when it requires cells to be extracted from animals. But many plant-based eaters support it as a potential way to phase out animal agriculture.