INTRODUCTION

HenArt has launched a complete dog food built around Enifer’s PEKILO mycoprotein. The move matters because it shifts the fermented ingredient from trial products towards use as a daily diet.

HenArt, a Dutch pet-food brand, sells Levendo for adult and senior dogs in the EU and UK, according to vegconomist. Enifer, a Finnish fermentation company, calls it PEKILO’s first consumer launch across international markets. HenArt markets the semi-moist product as a complete food rather than a treat or supplement. The distinction carries weight. A complete diet must supply a dog’s full nutritional needs when fed alone. HenArt says it formulated Levendo against guidance from the European pet-food trade body FEDIAF.

The launch follows a narrower PEKILO application developed with Rovio Pet Foods. Vegconomist reported that the companies presented that semi-moist dog treat at Interzoo in May 2026. Green Queen also reported test production at Prima Pet’s site in Nokia. Levendo therefore moves Enifer into a more demanding product class. Yet the evidence supplied still comes mainly from the companies, secondary reports and one small feeding study. Commercial supply also rests on a factory that has not reached full output.

CORE DECISION

HenArt’s central decision was to make PEKILO part of an everyday formulation rather than reserve it for treats. The company developed the recipe and its blend of fermentation-derived ingredients internally, while established European manufacturers make the finished food, according to vegconomist and Protein Report. This split allows HenArt to control the formula without owning the production assets. Henk Verhoeven, HenArt’s founder, said owners wanted more feeding choices without giving up nutrition, quality or enjoyment. That is company positioning, not evidence of market demand. The more relevant test is whether dogs can rely on the product as their sole diet. FEDIAF formulation offers an industry benchmark, but the sources provide no independent analysis of the finished Levendo product.

FORMULATION

Green Queen gives the most detailed account of the recipe. It reports that Levendo contains 11.5% mycoprotein, supported by pea protein, potato protein, hydrolysed yeast and algae oil. HenArt uses gentle baking to make the semi-moist food, according to all three trade reports. The companies say PEKILO contributes every essential amino acid required by the formulation. They also attribute beta-glucans, B vitamins and spermidine to the ingredient. Those nutrient claims come from HenArt and Enifer. The supplied material includes no laboratory certificate for Levendo and no comparison with conventional dog food. Green Queen describes the product as a biscuit, while vegconomist and Protein Report call it a complete food. These descriptions concern format and nutritional role, so they need not conflict.

PEKILO itself contains more than 60% protein and 22% fibre, according to Green Queen. The same report puts its ash content below 8%. Green Queen argues that low ash permits manufacturers to use more of the ingredient in a recipe. It also links low fat and carbohydrate levels with possible use in weight-management and grain-free foods. Those are formulation advantages claimed for the ingredient, not demonstrated outcomes for dogs eating Levendo. Enifer supplies PEKILO as a dry powder that can enter standard wet and dry pet-food production, according to Green Queen. Dry handling may ease adoption because manufacturers need not install a new process for a live culture.

EVIDENCE

The cited feeding evidence covers 16 dogs over 60 days, according to Green Queen. The report says dogs digested and accepted PEKILO well, while their stool quality did not deteriorate. Protein Report also mentions early biomarker changes associated with immune function. Green Queen links those changes to immune activity and oxidative balance. Neither account supplies the study design, control diet, statistical results or peer-review status. A trial involving 16 animals can support initial tolerance work, but it cannot settle long-term nutritional adequacy across breeds, ages and health conditions. The study concerns PEKILO as an ingredient. The sources do not say that researchers tested the finished Levendo recipe through a comparable feeding trial.

CONSUMER CONTEXT

A 2025 study in the journal Animals surveyed 2,639 dog guardians about current diets and more sustainable options. Of the 2,596 respondents who answered the relevant question, 84%, or 2,188 people, fed conventional or raw meat-based food, according to the study. Among 2,169 respondents in that group, more than 43%, or 936 people, accepted at least one alternative. Cultivated meat led at 24%, or 529 respondents. Vegetarian food followed at 17%, or 359 people. Insect protein drew 16%, or 336 people, while vegan food received 13%, or 290 people. The published summary does not provide a separate acceptance figure for microbial protein, despite including it among the alternatives under study.

Nutritional soundness was the condition respondents selected most often when considering alternatives, according to the Animals study. Vegconomist describes that concern as applying to 85% of owners considering another diet. Green Queen also uses an 85% figure when discussing potential buyers. The supplied extract from the primary paper does not report that percentage. It supports only the conclusion that nutritional adequacy ranked first. The difference matters because the trade reports turn a ranking into a precise share that cannot be checked from the provided study text. Levendo addresses the concern by invoking FEDIAF guidance, but a formulation claim and consumer confidence are not the same thing.

The Animals study also shows where that confidence may form. Labels and packaging were used by 42% of respondents, or 1,080 of 2,596 people, according to the paper. Scientific articles and books informed 38%, or 989 respondents. Business websites reached 35%, or 900 people. Human and canine diets showed the most frequent links with present purchases, possible future purchases and information choices, according to the researchers. Guardians who had reduced their own consumption of animals were more receptive to lower-impact dog foods. For HenArt, the practical point is plain. Claims on the pack may influence more owners than detailed technical material, but those claims still need sound evidence behind them.

PROCESS

PEKILO grew from Finnish work on the fungus Paecilomyces. Green Queen reports that researchers selected the strain from more than 300 fungi assessed for feed production between 1975 and 1991. Producers then fed the microbes with by-products from the forest industry. Enifer emerged from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and revived the method in 2020, according to Green Queen. The company adapted the organism to food and agricultural side streams. Its continuous submerged fermentation resembles the broad production approach used for soy sauce, Green Queen reports. After fermentation, machinery removes most water from the fungal biomass. The remaining mycelium is dried and ground into powder. Enifer is tailoring versions for pet food, aquaculture feed and human food.

PRODUCTION

Enifer’s ability to supply larger customers depends on its commercial plant in Kantvik, Kirkkonummi. The site entered commissioning in September 2026, according to vegconomist. Enifer plans annual capacity of as much as 3,000 tonnes and targets full production during 2027, according to all three trade reports. Green Queen values the facility at €33 million. It also reports that Enifer’s pilot line makes between five and 10 kilograms each day. Periodic runs through contract manufacturers reach about 10 times that daily volume, according to Green Queen. The planned factory is therefore not a marginal increase. Yet commissioning does not equal dependable output. Levendo’s expansion into large retail accounts rests on Enifer completing that transition.

The sources disagree on Enifer’s cumulative funding. Protein Report says the company has raised almost €60 million. Green Queen puts the total at about €49 million and says Enifer was seeking a Series C round for completion by the end of 2026. Neither report explains the gap. The figures may use different dates or definitions, but the supplied evidence does not resolve it. This discrepancy does not change the factory’s stated capacity. It does limit confidence in claims about the company’s financial position. Enifer’s capital needs matter because HenArt is already seeking broader distribution before full-scale PEKILO output begins.

MARKET ROUTE

HenArt sells Levendo through its own online shop and specialist distributors serving Europe and the UK, according to vegconomist and Protein Report. The company is also approaching national pet chains, online retailers and grocery groups. No source names a signed large retail customer or gives a price, pack size or sales target. HenArt is developing wet foods that combine the same fermentation blend with its TenderCraft technology, according to the three trade reports. That work suggests the company sees Levendo as the first format in a wider range. Evidence of consumer uptake remains absent. An international listing gives PEKILO visibility, but mainstream use will require repeat purchases rather than distribution announcements.

REGULATION

Enifer’s pet-food launch sits beside a separate push into human food. Green Queen reports that the company has made its own determination that PEKILO qualifies as Generally Recognized as Safe in the US. Enifer has notified the US Food and Drug Administration and is seeking a response with no further questions, according to Green Queen. The company has also applied for novel food clearance in the EU, Singapore and UK. Those filings do not amount to approval. They show that Enifer intends to use the same fermentation platform beyond animal nutrition. Pet food offers an earlier commercial route, while human-food regulators assess a separate set of applications.

LIMITS

The 2025 Animals survey gives useful context but cannot stand as a market forecast. Researchers recruited respondents between May and December 2020 through an online questionnaire, social media, paid Facebook advertising and volunteers. The final instrument had 37 main questions after a pilot involving 25 people, according to the paper. Convenience sampling produced an excess of respondents from the UK, women, people with higher education and vegans. The authors used regression analysis to reduce bias in estimates of association. That method cannot make the raw acceptance shares representative of all dog guardians. The study also notes an estimated global population of 528 million companion dogs in 2024, which makes even a large survey a small and uneven sample.

CONCLUSION

Levendo clears a commercial threshold by putting PEKILO into a diet formulated for sole daily feeding, but the evidence supplied does not yet prove long-term performance of the finished product. The judgement now rests on two concrete tests: independent nutritional evidence and Enifer’s planned move to 3,000 tonnes of annual capacity in 2027.