Dog treats made from lab-grown chicken have gone on sale at a UK pet retailer in what is being claimed as a world first.
The food, developed by Meatly, combines plant-based ingredients with cultivated meat – made by growing a single sample of cells from a chicken egg.
The firm says the treat, called Chick Bites, contains all the essential amino acids, critical fatty acids, minerals and vitamins needed for pet health and claims it is “just as tasty and nutritious as traditional chicken breast”.
Pets at Home believes it is the first company in the world to sell cultivated meat for pet food which is produced by growing cells, and does not require the raising or slaughter of animals.
Meatly founding chief executive Owen Ensor said: “It’s a giant leap forward, toward a significant market for meat which is healthy, sustainable and kind to our planet and other animals.”
But the company, whose largest investor includes Pets at Home, has competition from rivals keen to exploit a demand from pet owners for more sustainable ingredients.
Austrian-American start-up BioCraft has been developing cultivated mouse meat for dogs and cats.
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Part of the challenge for these companies has been that the process is expensive and complex, delaying getting products to market.
In May 2024, BioCraft claimed it had managed to slash costs and plans to release its pet food by early 2026.
Meanwhile, in February 2024, US firm Hill’s Pet Nutrition said it had been collaborating with manufacturer Bond Pet Foods to “formulate test products”.
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Researchers have spent years developing alternatives to animal proteins from traditional livestock farming, which is linked to climate change, biodiversity loss, and water pollution.
In August 2024, the UK’s innovation agency, UKRI, provided £15m to the National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre (NAPIC) to investigate the health benefits and risks, and what the British public will stomach.
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A 2022 survey by UK researchers, published in the PLOS ONE journal, showed the attitudes of consumers towards cultivated meat are complex. The study involving 729 people revealed only 32.5% would eat cultivated meat themselves, but 47.3% would feed it to their pets.
In July, UK regulators became the first in Europe to give Meatly approval to produce cultivated meat for use in pet food.
Treats are ‘game-changer for the industry’
Meatly says its products have been through safety testing to ensure its “cultivated chicken is free from bacteria and viruses” and the “product is safe, nutritious, and free from GMOs, antibiotics, harmful pathogens, heavy metals, and other impurities”.
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A limited release of the Chick Bites dog treats is being sold under the plant-based dog food brand, THE PACK. It will be available at a branch of Pets at Home in Brentford, London from 7 February.
Pets at Home CEO Anja Madsen said: “This innovation has the potential to significantly reduce the environmental impact of pet food and will be a game-changer for the industry”.
