First Pet Treats Made With Lab-Grown Meat Could ‘Feed Pets Forever’ Without Harming Animals

Pets at Home, a pet supplies retailer in the United Kingdom, has launched what it says are the first-ever dog treats made with lab-grown meat.

Chick Bites, a combination of cultivated chicken and plant-based ingredients, were produced by growing cells without the raising or slaughtering of animals.

“We’re incredibly excited to introduce cultivated meat to the pet world,” said Owen Ensor, Meatly’s founding chief executive, in a press release from Meatly. “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 lab-produced meat originated from one sample of cells taken from a single chicken egg. According to Meatly, the process can produce enough cultivated meat “to feed pets forever.”

The meat alternative is said to have all the vitamins, minerals, essential amino and fatty acids necessary for healthy pets.

The company says the meat is “just as tasty and nutritious as traditional chicken breast,” The Guardian reported.

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

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— The Guardian (@theguardian.com) February 6, 2025 at 12:23 AM

The United Kingdom became the first European country to approve cultivated meat in pet food last July when the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, along with the Animal and Plant Health Agency, approved chicken produced by Meatly.

Meatly has plans to fundraise for expanded production to make its treats more widely available within the coming three to five years. It also plans to continue its collaborations with Pets at Home and The Pack, the company that provided the plant-based ingredients for the dog treats.

“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,” said Chief Executive of The Pack Damien Clarkson in the press release. “Our mission at THE PACK is to develop highly nutritious products that dogs love, and we are delighted to partner with Meatly and Pets at Home on this world’s first. For us this is a continuation of our work in developing high-quality alternative protein products for all dog lovers.”

A limited number of Chick Bites have been offered for sale at the Pets at Home store in Brentford, West London.

“At Pets at Home, we’re guided by our purpose to create a better world for pets and the people who love them, and that includes looking after our planet,” said Pets at Home CEO Anja Madsen in the press release. “This innovation has the potential to significantly reduce the environmental impact of pet food and will be a gamechanger for the industry.”