Regulators, including the Animal and Plant Health Agency and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, have approved Meatly's cultivated chicken product for pets.
Environmental impact of meat
There is a growing interest in lab-grown pet food among animal lovers who are concerned about the environmental impact of traditional meat.
The pet food industry's climate footprint is comparable to the Philippines. A University of Winchester study revealed that half of pet owners would feed their pets lab-grown meat, and nearly a third would consider consuming it themselves.
Meatly's cultivated chicken is produced by taking a small sample from a chicken egg and cultivating it with nutrients in a lab environment. This process results in a paté-like paste.
Samples available this year
The company's facility has been officially approved and Meatly plans to launch its first commercially available pet food samples this year. Future goals include reducing costs and scaling production to industrial levels within three years, potentially by mixing the meat with vegetables.
So far, Meatly has raised £3.5 million from investors and aims to secure an additional £5 million. The UK Food Standards Agency is assessing the first applications for cultivated meat intended for human consumption.
Meanwhile, countries like Singapore and Israel have already approved lab-grown meat for human consumption, though some US states have banned it.
Would you give your pet lab-grown meat?
