Pets at Home has launched a dog treat which the firm says is a first for the globe.
Chick Bites, manufactured by Meatly, are made from plant-based ingredients combined with cultivated meat.
According to Meatly, the meat is “just as tasty and nutritious as traditional chicken breast” and has all the vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, and amino acids required for a healthy pet.
A limited release of Chick Bites, sold under the plant-based dog food brand The Pack, will be available at a branch of Pets at Home in Brentford, London from Friday.
But what exactly is cultivated meat and how is it made?
What is cultivated meat?
Cultivated meat is meat that is generated in a laboratory using animal cells as opposed to being obtained by rearing and slaughtering animals.
It is also known by other names including lab-grown, cultured, cell-based or clean meat.
Meatly has revealed Chick Bites are made from a single sample of cells extracted from a single chicken egg, from which enough cultured meat could be made to feed pets “forever”.
Following the approval of Meatly's “chicken” by the Animal and Plant Health Agency and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in July, the UK became the first nation in Europe to support the use of cultivated meat in pet food.
Pets at Home also claimed to be the first business in the world to market cultivated meat for use in pet food.
In the next three to five years, Meatly plans to raise money to increase production and make its chicken more widely available. Additional partnerships with The Pack, which supplied the plant-based ingredients, and Pets at Home are also planned.
Meatly's founding CEO, Owen Ensor, stated in a statement: “Just two years ago this felt like a moon shot. Today we take off. It’s a giant leap forward, toward a significant market for meat which is healthy, sustainable and kind to our planet and other animals.”
Which other brands are working on cultivated meat?
Meatly faces competition from others eager to take advantage of pet owners' desire for more environmentally friendly ingredients.
BioCraft, an Austrian-American start-up, has been creating cultured mouse meat for cats and dogs.
The process's high cost and complexity have contributed to these businesses' difficulties by delaying the release of their goods.
BioCraft stated in May 2024 that it had successfully reduced expenses and intended to launch its pet food by the beginning of 2026.
In the meantime, US company Hill's Pet Nutrition announced in February 2024 that it had been working with Bond Pet Foods to “formulate test products”.
