UMAMI’s Cultivated Fish to Enter UK Market, Tackling Overfishing

UMAMI Bioworks is setting the stage for a culinary and environmental revolution in the UK. The Singapore-based company, known for its cultivated seafood technology, is officially entering the UK market with a mission to tackle the country’s urgent overfishing crisis. With the seafood industry in Britain under threat due to decreasing fish population, climate change, and post-Brexit import challenges, UMAMI offers a lifeline: lab-grown seafood with the promise of sustainability without sacrificing flavor.

As the UK faces growing challenges in its seafood supply, UMAMI is stepping in with a fresh alternative. Years of overfishing have reduced key species like cod in UK waters, leaving fish stocks critically low. In fact, many local fish stocks are on the verge of collapse, with six out of ten of the UK’s most important species being overfished. At the same time, Brexit has introduced new tariffs and stricter customs rules, making it harder for the UK to both export its seafood and import the fish it consumes, particularly from countries like Iceland and China.

Despite being a major seafood exporter, the UK imports most of the fish it consumes, making its supply vulnerable to international disruptions. As a result, the UK now relies on imports for over 70% of its seafood supply. This is where UMAMI’s seafood offers a fresh, sustainable solution, providing a local alternative that can help reduce dependence on imported fish while protecting marine ecosystems.

By producing lab-grown seafood locally, UMAMI wants to reduce the UK’s dependence on imports while helping protect marine life. The initiative isn’t just about putting food on the table; it’s about creating a more sustainable, resilient future for seafood lovers and the environment.

“Our decision to enter the UK market aligns with the country’s strong focus on food security and its world-renowned expertise in biotech and bioengineering,” said Mihir Pershad, CEO of UMAMI. “We will work closely with leading institutions such as University College London (UCL) and Imperial College to advance the commercialization of our current generation of cultivated seafood solutions and to pave the way for the next generation of cultivated seafood breakthroughs that will inevitably redefine how the UK—and the world—feeds itself.”

Both University College London (UCL) and Imperial College London play significant roles in advancing the cultured food industry, particularly in cultivated meat and sustainable protein solutions.

At UCL, the Department of Biochemical Engineering has been actively involved in research on cellular agriculture, which includes cultured meat. UCL’s Cellular Agriculture Manufacturing Hub (CARMA), the largest research grant for cellular agriculture in the UK, is dedicated to finding sustainable manufacturing methods for lab-grown meat.

Similarly, Imperial College launched the Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein earlier this year with $30 million in funding from the Bezos Earth Fund, part of Jeff Bezos’ $10 billion commitment to fighting climate change and protecting nature during this critical decade. This new center focuses on developing alternative protein products like cultivated meat and advancing research in precision fermentation, bioprocessing, and AI-driven food production. It’s designed to accelerate the development of sustainable, nutritious, and affordable food products that can transform how we produce and consume protein globally.

UMAMI’s entrance into the UK comes at a crucial time. The country is undergoing regulatory reforms to modernize its food safety framework, particularly for cultivated meat. The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) recently introduced reforms designed to speed up the approval process for novel foods, including cultivated seafood.

These changes, like creating a public register to list newly approved products to make tracking easier and removing the extra steps in approval processes, could reduce the time it takes for new products to get approved. This shift could reduce approval times from the current 2.5 years, allowing companies like UMAMI to bring their innovative products to market faster. By keeping strict safety rules in place, these reforms help build trust with consumers, showing them that new food products are safe while promoting sustainable food solutions.

For UMAMI, this is the latest in a string of bold moves in other countries. Just last month, the company partnered with Korean biotech firms to scale up 3D printed seafood production. By focusing on bioprinting and cultivated food technologies, UMAMI is trying to position itself at the forefront of a growing movement for sustainable, lab-grown alternatives in global food markets.

UMAMI’s venture into the UK couldn’t be more convenient. With nearly 80% of the world’s fisheries over-exploited or collapsing, according to The World Counts, the world is on the brink of a seafood crisis. For UMAMI, the goal is to make sure its cultivated seafood platform gives seafood lovers a chance to still enjoy their favorite dishes without the environmental cost.

But UMAMI’s ambitions don’t stop at seafood for human consumption. Earlier this year, the company also announced a partnership in the pet food market, offering 3D printed fish treats for cats—another creative step toward sustainable protein solutions. Today, the alternative seafood market could steadily expand with the FSA’s reforms poised to speed up regulatory approvals and a growing global demand for cultivated meat.