Cultivated meat supplier Meatly has claimed a world first by unveiling canned petfood that features lab-grown chicken as its protein source.
The “cruelty-free chicken” was created in collaboration with Meatly’s first brand partner, Omni, a fast-growing petfood startup that focuses on novel protein. The use of the new ingredient marked “an important step in the mission of both companies to offer ethical and more environmentally-friendly and healthy products for pets”, Meatly said.
Rollout of the lab-grown innovation is yet to be confirmed. Meatly is currently working with the FSA and Defra to obtain regulatory approval. The supplier expected a go-ahead from within the next three months, it said.
Once approved, the cultivated meat product would “be made available in shops across the country through partnerships with retailers and manufacturers like Omni”, Meatly added. “As an early investor in Meatly, Pets at Home plans to be the first retailer to offer these products.”
The creation of unnamed NPD was “a major milestone for cultivated meat globally and shows that we are ready to sell product”, said Owen Ensor, co-founder & CEO of Meatly.
As demand for petfood “continues to grow, with petfood already accounting for 20% of meat produced globally, so too does the industry’s environmental impact”, he added. “Cultivated meat gives pet parents an easy choice: high-quality, tasty, nutritious, and sustainable petfood. We’re thrilled to work with innovative companies like Omni to make this a reality as soon as possible.”
Ensor and partner Helder Cruz founded Meatly – then called Good Dog Good – in 2022 with backing from investor Agronomics, a London-listed company focused on investment opportunities within the field of cellular agriculture.
Meatly’s latest ingredient was “incredibly exciting”, said Omni co-founder Guy Sandelowsky. “Not only because it represents a virtually infinite, cruelty-free source of meat but also because it can be optimised for health. This means more essential vitamins, minerals and omegas, and an elimination of the troublesome components that can be found in traditional meat, such as antibiotic residues.”
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