Dog treat made from lab-grown meat on sale in UK as retailer claims a ‘world first’ | Cell-cultivated meat

A dog treat made from lab-grown meat has gone on sale at Pets at Home in a move the retailer claims is a world first.

Chick Bites are made from plant-based ingredients combined with cultivated meat, which is produced by growing cells and does not require the raising or slaughter of animals.

The manufacturer, Meatly, said the chicken was produced from a single sample of cells taken from one chicken egg, from which enough cultivated meat could be produced to feed pets “for ever”.

It claims the meat is “just as tasty and nutritious as traditional chicken breast”, and contains the amino acids, fatty acids, minerals and vitamins needed for pet health.

In July, the UK became the first country in Europe to back cultivated meat for use in pet food, after chicken produced by Meatly was approved by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Animal and Plant Health Agency.

Pets at Home said it believed it was the first company in the world to sell cultivated meat for pet food. A limited release of Chick Bites has gone on sale at Pets at Home in Brentford, west London.

The retailer, which has invested in Meatly, said the snack was a nutritious, healthy and sustainable alternative to traditional dog treats.

Meatly said it planned to raise funds to expand production and make its chicken more broadly available in the next three to five years, with further collaborations planned with The Pack, which provided the plant-based ingredients, and Pets at Home.

Meatly’s founding chief executive, Owen Ensor, said: “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.”

The Pets at Home chief operating officer, Anja Madsen, said: “This innovation has the potential to significantly reduce the environmental impact of pet food and will be a gamechanger for the industry.”

Damien Clarkson, the chief executive of The Pack, said: “Cultivated meat offers a tasty, low-carbon and healthy protein source which has the potential to eliminate farmed animals from the pet food industry.”