World’s first lab-grown meat pet treats launched in the UK

Photo: Framestock/Adobe Stock

Pet treats with cultivated meat are now available for purchase in the United Kingdom. The treats, made by Meatly—a London-based startup producing cultivated meat for pets—in collaboration with plant-based dog food brand The Pack, contain plant-based ingredients along with cultivated chicken meat.¹

At a cost of £3.49 ($4.30 USD) for 50 grams, the treats, called “Chick Bites,” are currently being sold in small samples through a limited release in one Pets at Home location in London, England, a pet retail chain of 457 stores in the UK.^1,2 Pets at Home, along with Agronomics—a UK investor in cultivated meat—are among Meatly’s largest investors.³

The current launch makes Meatly the “first company in the world to supply cultivated meat for pet food on sale,” according to Meatly.¹ Last year, the company became the first globally to obtain regulatory approval for the use of cultivated meat in pet food.²

“We’re incredibly excited to introduce cultivated meat to the pet world,” Owen Ensor, founding CEO of Meatly said in a company release.¹ “Just 2 years ago this felt like a moonshot. 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. We’re proud to work alongside fellow pioneers Pets at Home and The Pack for this momentous endeavor.”

"Chick Bites" at Pets at Home. (Photo courtesy of Meatly)

“…We are thrilled to be working with Owen and the team to provide cultivated meat pet food products to our customers for the first time in the world. This innovation has the potential to significantly reduce the environmental impact of pet food and will be a game-changer for the industry,” Anja Madsen, chief operating officer of Pets at Home, said in the release.¹

With the product release at Pets at Home, the retailer is now the first to sell pet food made from cultivated meat.¹ According to a company announcement, Meatly has plans to raise additional funds to scale production and broaden the availability of Meatly Chicken in the next 3 to 5 years and plans to continue collaborating with The Pack and Pets at Home.¹

Currently, 20% of meat is used to feed pets.⁴ Compared to traditional meat, which uses 40% of global habitable land and 30% of global fresh water, cultivated meat only utilizes 2% and 6%, respectively. Additionally, there is no antibiotic or hormone use involved in cultivated meat.⁴

Meatly Chicken is produced from a single sample of cells taken from one chicken egg.¹ Over the course of a week, the chicken egg cells are fed with a blend of amino acids, vitamins, and minerals, resulting in meat with a texture resembling chicken pâté.² “Meatly Chicken is just as tasty and nutritious as traditional chicken breast,” wrote the company.1 According to Meatly, that one sample is enough to produce cultivated meat that will feed pets forever.¹

“The launch of our Chick Bites treats is a watershed moment for the pet food industry. Cultivated meat offers a tasty, low-carbon, and healthy protein source, which has the potential to eliminate farmed animals from the pet food industry,” Damien Clarkson, CEO and cofounder of The Pack, said in a news release.¹

References

1. Meatly launches world’s first cultivated pet food! News release. Meatly. February 6, 2025. Accessed February 13, 2025. https://meatly.pet/meatly-launches-worlds-first-cultivated-pet-food/
2. Prisco J. ‘World’s first’ lab-grown meat for pets launches in the UK. CNN. February 12, 2025. Accessed February 13, 2025. https://www.cnn.com/science/first-lab-grown-meat-pets-meatly-spc/index.html#:~:text=London%2Dbased%20Meatly%20is%20selling,Meatly
3. FAQ’s. Meatly. Accessed February 13, 2025. https://meatly.pet/faqs/
4. We make real meat, without animals. Meatly. Accessed February 13, 2025. https://meatly.pet